Phase III – Interviews

Phase III: Interviews

The third data collection approach used, the interview, was composed to answer any open-ended questions generating qualitative data that might have been lost in translation through a survey response. The survey and interview questions were staged to not allude to any preconceived bias towards addictions, possibly skewing the data collection. Two interviews were scheduled, each with two research team members. The interviews were conducted and recorded via a secure online room, and the recordings were then uploaded to a secure Google Drive in their respective folders. Transcriptions of the interviews were written and filed accordingly. The sample population for the interviews were those who expressed interest and consented to be contacted in the initial survey and met all other participant criteria.

The two interviews conducted were approximately 15 minutes in length. Data was collected by the secondary interviewer in a blank questionnaire. The answers were then analyzed by the research team for themes: beliefs, values, and practices in the behavioural observations marked by the survey and screen time log. The responses provide the qualitative data required on participants’ perception of social media and addiction.

The interviews provided further information towards explanatory claims through self-reporting of the participants. Self-reporting is important in this phase of the research, as it provides an insight into how the participants view their own prior, current, and future beliefs on their behaviours and characteristics surrounding social media addiction. Systematic sources of error are possible, as biases may become prevalent throughout this method. Farnsworth (2019) explains how participation bias can be reduced “by ensuring the participants that their data is truly confidential,” and by creating a judgment-free zone when conducting the research (para. 11). Staging the questioning framework may reduce confirmation and normalcy biases caused by possible shame and/or denial found through the verbal interview following the participants’ disclosure of their behavioural habits.