The advantages of social media-based diary methods: Using WhatsApp and Facebook groups to collect diary data on everyday lived experience

Diary methods are recognized as a valuable tool in qualitative research, however researchers have yet to take advantage of the many possibilities offered by social media platforms. This article demonstrates the potential of social media-based diary methods, specifically WhatsApp and Facebook diary groups, for researching everyday lived experience, by outlining the key advantages that this methodological innovation offers. Researchers can obtain insight into everyday repetitive behaviors, like eating and cooking, they can benefit from real-time reporting since participants can share information as and when it happens, and they can gain access to multi-modal data, as social media platforms support a variety of data types, including text, photos, audio, and video. Social media-based diary methods also make data collection more practical since the platforms are widely known and interacted with, and where they are supported by both smartphones and computers, transcription becomes a straightforward process too. A final benefit which could be taken advantage of is group discussions, so this article also explores the benefits of conducting diary methods in a group setting. This article is based on a research project exploring the everyday lived experiences of faith vegans which made use of private WhatsApp and Facebook groups to collect diary data from participants, including photos of meals, reflections on events and experiences, and group discussions. The findings in this article are thus grounded in methodological innovation and advance current scholarship on diary methods in a way that aligns well with contemporary trends and preferences.