Problematizing platform use in qualitative inquiry: a postdigital, anti/colonial critique

Qualitative inquirers are increasingly exploring the possibilities and promise of web-based research. From re-envisioning the meaning of face-to-face interaction through online collaboration platforms to harvesting organically occurring digital content, these data generation interactions occur on platforms designed for purposes other than inquiry. Researchers who work within these platformed field sites must be clear on the affordances of these imperfect and continually evolving ecosystems. In this article, I engage in a postdigital anti/colonial critique of platforms to outline the contours of their relational-cultural affordances as distinctly colonial and white. From this engagement, I invite a dialogue on the risks researchers take when assuming a platform is universal and, subsequently, our digital research on these platforms are neutral endeavors. I conclude with a series of critically reflexive prompts for researchers to consider when engaging in digital research.