Conducting qualitative social media research through a feminist ethic of care

Purpose Qualitative social media research has flourished in the field of marketing, but navigating the scope of inherent ethical concerns can be challenging, given the dynamic and nuanced nature of social media itself. The purpose of this paper is to propose a feminist ethic of care framework for conducting qualitative social media research in marketing. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a conceptual approach, theoretically guided by a feminist ethic of care perspective. A feminist ethic of care encourages ethical principles that align with qualitative methods, including empathy, collaboration, flexibility, interconnectedness, contextuality and recognizing power dynamics. Findings The feminist ethic of care framework outlines three considerations for conducting qualitative social media research: care to the platform, care to the participant and care to the procedure. To develop practical strategies for navigating core concerns, the authors offer reflexive questions that marketing scholars can ask themselves, guided by Tronto’s (1993) ethic of care principles: attentiveness (how am I becoming aware of needs to enact care?), responsibility (how am I willing to take care of needs?), responsiveness (how am I adjusting care practices to meet changing needs?) and competence (how am I developing the skills and knowledge to provide effective care?). Practical implications As a companion guide, the authors provide “A Practical Worksheet for Applying a Feminist Ethic of Care in Qualitative Social Media Research,” designed to support researchers in ethical decision-making at various stages throughout the research lifecycle. Researchers can use this tangible resource to navigate the nuances of their own qualitative social media research projects at critical inflection points (e.g. starting a project, data immersion, drafting a manuscript and preparing a submission). Originality/value This paper argues that a feminist ethic of care provides a context-sensitive, axiological lens for conducting qualitative social media research – starting with the “why-to,” or ethical principles, before moving to the “how-to”, or practical strategies.