Why should I participate?:
By participating in this study, you will help researchers better understand communication strategies Black users on Twitter employ to connect with other Black users. This understanding can contribute knowledge of broader Black communities within online spaces.Inclusion Criteria:
In order to participate in this study, participants must meet all of the following:If participants do not identify with any of the above, they will not be eligible to participate in this study.
Study Aims:
This study will explore how Black users of Twitter define and communicate with in-group and out-group members of the Black community and Black Twitter.What will I actually have to do?
The interview will take about 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete. We anticipate 50 participants will take part in the study. Participants will be asked to take a short survey collecting demographics and general information on their social media use. After the survey, each participant will be interviewed once. This will be an in-depth interview that includes computer screen-sharing to look at examples of posts/interactions from the interview participant’s Twitter account during the past six months. These interviews will be conducted remotely through Zoom and the interviews will be audio- and video-recorded for the researchers to examine.
What benefits are there for me?
There are no direct benefits to you for taking part in this research. You will be contributing to knowledge about how Black people express their racial identity and engage with audiences on Twitter. Additionally, by participating in this study, there will be a $30 interview stipend upon completion of the interview. This stipend indicates that the research team values your time and perspective.
What happens to my data?
The information collected about you for this research will not be used by or distributed to investigators for other research.
Can I withdraw from the study?
Your participation is voluntary. If you choose to take part now, you may change your mind and withdraw later. In addition, you can choose to skip interview questions that you are not comfortable answering or stop the interview at any time. You may also withdraw your consent for use of responses you provided during the interview, but you must do this in writing to the PI, Dr. Jeffrey Lane.
Risks from Participation:
Breach of confidentiality is a risk of harm but a data security plan is in place to minimize such a risk. Also, some questions may make you feel uncomfortable. If that happens, you can ask to skip those questions or withdraw from the study altogether. If you decide to quit the interview your responses will NOT be saved.
Contact Details:
If you have any questions, or require additional information please contact the Principal Investigator: Dr. Jeffrey Lane, Associate Professor of Communication, email address: jeffrey.lane@rutgers.edu, contact number: 917-974-4997 or the student investigators, Justine Quow and Fatoumata Ceesay, e-mail address: blktwitterstudy@gmail.com
This study has been approved by the Rutgers University Institutional Review Board. For further details about your rights as a research subject, you can contact the IRB Director at:
Arts and Sciences IRB (732) 235-2866 or the Rutgers Human Subjects Protection Program at (973) 972-1149 or email at humansubjects@ored.rutgers.edu.