Ethics and Engagement in Communication Scholarship: Analyzing Public Online Support Groups as Researcher/Participant-Experiencer

Abstract

This chapter asserts an engaged research approach that aims to meet the ethical challenges of public, online support group studies. First, the intrinsic ethical orientation of the theoretical framework undergirding this approach is detailed. Second, how this approach may guide qualitative-interpretive analyses of public, online support groups is explored. This section features two excerpts from a larger study conducted of one such group. Third, three additional features of engaged research that bolsters its capacity to address the ethical concerns of public, online support group studies are presented. The chapter with a call and rationale for future engaged research of such sites, stressing the benefits to research and support group communities alike.