Order Description
the topic of this case study is ‘What is meant by New World Order and what are the conspiracies that underpin this?’ i will upload the case study asap, i need you to make it better by working on the results section. i would like you to add webshots of newspapers, video, online chat forums and any other media outlet.

the three objectives of this case study is as follows:
what is the nwo?
what is meant by the nwo?
what conspiracy theories underpin the nwo theory?

the case study must follow and answer those objectives.

The Case study requires you to investigate in detail instances of particular phenomena that occur in various forms of communication media , this can include television news reports, newspaper and magazine articles and virtual worlds (i.e. on line forums, chat rooms and message boards). The purpose of this case study is in order to describe phenomena that occur in the ‘real’ and virtual worlds as accessed through various forms of media and link them to social theories taken from elsewhere in the degree programme. You will need to identify the area of investigation, the sites and sources that you will use and the relevant theoretical perspectives that you will employ. Your main body will consist of collected evidence and discussion of these links to relevant areas of social theory following which you will draw conclusions.
What is meant by New World Order and what are the conspiracies that underpin this?

Abstract
‘The new-world-order’ is nothing new to most people across the world as it has been a controversial topic for decades from different perspectives and people. Conspiracies have arisen as to what it pertains and its implications on the world raising concerns about the legitimacy of common institutions such as the catholic church, banks, and the U.N among others. However, a large percentage of this conspiracies are unproven but have gained strength due to existence of mainstream media and the internet where people are free to speak about anything without close scrutiny. This may continue to be a contentious subject for a long time to come since no particular person knows what the future holds in store for the global society.
Introduction
Emergence of the ‘New World Order’ (NWO) led to rise of the most noticeable conspiracy theories in the last few decades that have slowly gained global prominence as a political model amidst dawn of the 21st century (The Insider, 2016).As a conspiracy theory, it represents formation of a completely new totalitarian world (Barkun 2003; Camp 1997; Goldberg, 2001). The common theme revolving around this subject is about a secretive but powerful elite group who have a hidden globalist agenda to ultimately rule over the world by means of an authoritarian global government that will substitute soveraign states that exist in today’s world (Berlet & Lyons, 2000).
It has been widely speculated that a number of historical and current influential figures are part of this movement that stems its operations on various front organizations to coordinate substantial financial and political happenings. This is in addition to other major world events that promotes transition towards their desired goal of world domination through enigmatic political congregations and infringing decision-making processes (Fenster, 2008). At the onset of the 1990’s, NWO conspiracies were restricted to two american counter-cultures: militant anti-government right groups; and fundamentalist christianity that were apprehensive of end-times through arrival of the Antichrist (Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 2004). Barkun (2003) in his book, ‘Culture of Conspiracy’ argues that:
“ conspiracism is first an explanation of politics that purpots to locate and detect the true loci of power thus illuminating previously hidden decision-making. The conspirators, mostly refered to as shadow government, work under concealed political systems behind the visible one, whose functionaries are either ciphers or puppets” (p. 178)
If this is the case, legitimacy of conspiracy theories is put into question considering it may ultimately be a mere perception of an individual or group concerning a certain subject that has been widely accepted as fact without accurate investigation it its underlying truths (Wood, Douglas, & Sutton, 2012). It therefore provides for an intriguing subject for investigation with the intention of getting an intricate understanding of underlying factors.
This paper will attempt to investigate in detail instances of conspiracy theories surrounding the New World Order that occur in different forms of communication media such as reports, virtual worlds, and newspaper and magazine articles. The resolve of this case study will be to describe this phenomenon as it occurs in real and virtual worlds as accessed via various forms of media and linked to relevant social theories.
Literature Review
The New Globalism
Not long ago, mid-20th century, terms such as trans-nationality, globalization and globalism were still alien to most people in the world, which is quite a contrast in today’s world where these terms are used on daily basis (Hall, 2003). In many ways, the struggle to clearly define components of the evolving global order goes beyond powerful individuals or the powerless. Ideally, it defines terms, language, and concepts used to define supra-natural institutions and correlations. It is widely viewed that the links between revelation of global unity and achievement of a global community are contingent and tenuous as much as the dream is persistent. Sadly, it will not be the first time for such an attempt to be made in the world. Back in history, from the fourth century during the times of Alexander the great to early 20th century during Hitler’s and Stalin’s era, would-be emperors attempted impose imperial rule on people over great geographical expanses (Turner, 2002). Consequently, they all failed in their endeavors attributable mainly to underestimation of political and socio-economic orders compounded by organizational and technological shortcomings. It can however be argued that such limitations are a thing of the past considering major strides taken towards world unity and technological advancement in recent years thanks to globalization that have made the world a ‘small village’ (Hughes, 1987).
History of the New World Order
Many politicians in the 20th century such as Winston Churchill referred to the word ‘new-world-order’ when speaking of a new era in history categorized by a shift in global political thought and balance of power especially after the two subsequent world wars. They viewed this as a chance to apply idealistic proposals aimed at global governance through new jointefforts to find solutions to global problems that are beyond the capability of single sovereign states. This successively led to formation of international institutions such as NATO and the UN in addition to international regimes such as GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) aimed at maintaining balance of power (Sammis, 2002). These organizations and regimes were generally accepted amid little opposition as they were intended to be a free association of self-governing nations rather than a transition to an autonomous world government. As a result, activists from across the world converged to form a ‘world federalist movement’ with the hope it would evolve into a ‘real’ new world order (Hughes, 2014). In the 1940’s Futurist and British writer, H. G. Wells appropriated and redefined the term as a synonym for formation of a technocratic global state and planned economy (Wells, 2006). With the dawn of the 21st century, especially leading up to the year 2000 financial crisis, most politicians and pundits used the term to advocate for reforms in the global financial system creating new breeding grounds for conspiracism(Kissinger, 2009).The mainstream media has also been criticized by media watchdogs for spreading conspiracy theories created by radical rights in a manner that initiated action by indipendent critics (Krugman, 2009).
Rise of the New World Order
One question that has intrigued many people in the 21st century world regards why the economy, government, society and the world overall are in a complete mess that never seems to cease but rather aggravates with every passing year. The economy has been facing an unstable environment since the early 1900’s great depression, the government is marred by corruption, society has become very immoral, and lives and futures of people seem to be controlled by an unseen powerful force beyond their control. According to Hays (2013), Author of ‘Rise of the New World Order’, this is a direct outcome of “a world orchestrated, manufactured, and guided by proponents of the great plan and the multinational corporations they control that influence your life as you know it”(p. 14). They achieve this through common products that people use on a daily basis without having an idea of their true implications. These products include products people eat, drink, wear, watch, look at, and listen to and others that mesmerize them such as visa, Facebook, Disney, apple, General Electric, Coca-Cola among many more. ‘The great plan’ involves not only control of major companies but also institutions of higher education, political parties and mainstream media. All this is aimed at transitioning into one borderless government ruling over the world controlled by the wealthiest and most ‘diabolically evil people in the world’ (Hays, 2013).
Conspiracy Theories
There are several conspiracy theories in the public domain that attempt to offer a perspective or unearth the ‘truth’ behind NWO. One of the earliest and most popular is End-time theories by religious groups such as Christianity that has predicted imposition of a tyrannical world governing structure to fulfill prophesies in the holy bible as stipulated in the book of revelation (Hughes R. , 2011). Freemasonry is another that is termedas the world’s oldest secular fraternal society tracing its roots to between the 16th and 17th century. They have over the years been the subject of allegations of conspiracy theories claiming they have a hidden political agenda aligned to a world government (Berlet, 1999). The Illuminati, founded as a secret enlightenment-age society by a university professor in Germany has been accused for coming up with soviet communism and finance capitalism with the goal of dividing the world in order to rule it (McKeown, 2004). The ‘Protocols-of-the-elders-of-Zion’ is an anti-Semitic myth released in 1903 claiming there was a Judeo-Masonic plan to attain world domination purporting secret meeting of Jewish masterminds plotting the issue (Spargo, 1921). Other conspiracy theories base on this issue include: Round Table; ‘New Age’; Fourth Reich; Alien invasion; and ‘Brave New World’ (deHaven-Smith, 2013).
Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
Traditionally, conspiracy has had a legal understanding of ‘a settlement between two or more people planning to commit an offense at a time in future’ (Thresher-Andrews, 2013). Thus, from a broader perspective, conspiracy theories are just but accusations of a crime that has happened. However, these theories contain certain complexity and uniqueness than what most people culturally assume, which has stirred debates not only in political science but also other fields such as psychology and sociology. Psychologists generally feel the topic is worth investigation and analysis considering the fact that they seem to possess a certain sub-culture, in most cases political activism, which is contrary to the mainstream view. These theories are unproven, less-plausible explanation for occurrences arising from the notion that all is planned, with malignity (Whitson & Galinsky, 2008). Conspiracy theories are not anything new in the world albeit attempts to create new definitions even as the impact of an ever transforming culture and internet age are strengthening their grasp of perception of the populous allowing such information to spread fast and reaching many people (Melley, 2002).
The question, ‘what is it that particularly intrigues psychologists about conspiracy believers?’ quickly arises every time they are mentioned in context of this subject. Well, one of the major contributing factors is the fact that people who believe these theories seem to be quite robust to counter-arguments compelled by a rather fanatical conviction that their version of a story stands to be true (Swami & Coles, 2010). This factor is made even more complicated by the heavy political over-tone governing this subject, a combination that proves tough to disentangle.A significant number of cognitive biases operating include the notion of ‘large significant occurrences must have large origins (Leman & Cinnirella, 2007); attribution bias in the sense that people tend to overemphasize the impact of dispositional factors particularly when attempting to unearth intentionality in other people (Clarke, 2002); and confrontational bias with regard to beliefs and ideologies that seem to be reinforced whilst other alternatives are restrained or ignored all-together.
Little psychological work has been invested into this aspect thus little information available but a greater opportunity for research and unearthing of new ideologies never discovered before. Majority of the work done in this field has only been correlational demonstrating that there have been more functional mechanisms at both social and cognitive levels that unearth the persistence of conspiracy theories. It is not the role of psychologists to debate on underlying truths that are hidden behind numerous conspiracies but to gain an intricate understanding on why people behave and react the way they do to aspects such as conspiracy (Pigdem, 2007).
Methodology
This section will offer an overview of how various sources have been used to collect information after which it was analyzed into comprehendible form that leads to a conclusive answer to the case in study. For the purpose of this case study, a qualitative investigation into conspiracy theories surrounding ‘the new world order’ is required. Collected evidence will be analyzed and liked to relevant areas of social theory from which appropriate conclusions will established. This will be achieved by taking into perspective a number of well-known conspiracy theories that have surrounded the issue and analyzing how they came about and their basis to try establishing if they are true or simply speculations or myths.
Many theories have arisen in the past decades and centuries concerning the so called ‘new world order’ that as earlier established, has gained many definitions and meanings to different people thus making it a very complex issue. For the purpose of this paper, only a few, which have gained popularity in the 21stcentury, will be analyzed: Roman Catholicism; Free-masonry; Illuminati; Communism; and the United Nations.
Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholicism, otherwise known simply as the Catholic Church, is the biggest Christian church globally in terms of membership that stands at 1.25 billion people (Stanford, 2011). Additionally, it’s one of the oldest institutions in the world with reference to religion that has played an immense role in the course of western civilization headed by the pope (Allen Jr., 2015).Others have gone to the extent of claiming Catholicism to be a cult rather than a religion.

This in part, has played a part in emergence of numerous conspiracy theories accusing the Roman Catholic for responsibility.These include: World domination; creating communism; preparing for alien-invasion on earth; and sinking of the titanic among many others some of which may be termed absurd (Hodapp & Kannon, 2011).The latter is perhaps one that seems out of sorts with what truly happened considering credible evidence proves that the titanic was sunk by an iceberg. However, conspiracy theories have emerged claiming the ship was intentionally sank by Jesuits, a mysterious organization known as ‘Society of Jesus’, in a bid to form the federal reserve bank. According to them, they wanted to infiltrate the central banking system in order to finance their ‘world-domination’ schemes. They therefore used the ship’s captain, allegedly a member of the society’ to intentionally ram the ship into an iceberg in order to eliminate three powerful people aboard who were stanch opposers of the plan (Moore, 2013).
Freemasonry
A lot of deceptive ideologies and conspiracies concerning the origins and actions of freemasonry in the world have emerged in the recent decade that has been intentionally synthesized by mainstream media. These theories emerged from a section of media comprising individuals obsessed by the new world order ideology who believe there is a ‘great-plan’ brewing to take over dominance over the world. This has clouded the real truth and promulgated newly-gained knowledge that is largely false and devised.
According to supporters of the great-plan ideologies, freemasons have infiltrated international banks, sovereign governments and transnational organizations. This is achieved through segmentation into levels where the upper level is in control of all decision-making and plans and is primarily believed to know the true objective of the organization. The lower level on the other hand comprises of their networks in the grass-roots who act as contacts and actualize plans as laid out by their superiors. They are mostly found in white-collar jobs and act as infiltrators in their respective professions and place of work (Karg & Young, 2009).
Another major issue where freemasonry has largely been mentioned is inclusion of their symbols on the dollar (Quiles, 2008). There has been rising speculation concerning various symbols on the dollar and their implications that has intrigued conspiracy theorists. These include: the all-seeing eye on a pyramid; an owl at the corner of bills; and the seal just to name a few.

One of the aspects that aggravates their concerns strengthening their stand is if it could really be coincidental that only be on the one dollar note has these symbols. To proponents, no other country has evident signs of the ‘great-plan’ as the American dollar signifying how much masons have infiltrated the most powerful nation in the world and soon enough rule over the world as a whole.
Below are more images associated with the connotation new world order and the underlying conspiracies;

An image by the Wake up New Zealand organization registered in the U.S. indicating a connection between ownership of financial institution in new Zealand with the NOW.

Image associating the new world order with satanism

Image associating new world order with a popular movement

Image associating popular New world order sect illuminati with the famous celebrities and powerful people
Results
As can be seen in the few cases provided above, which are just but the tip of an iceberg, there are numerous theories and speculations revolving in the public domain even as others continue to arise and develop as years go by. The main target of ‘new world order’ conspirators is powerful individuals and organizations whose actions in the past are scrutinized and speculated upon with the mindset that they are planning to rule the world at a future point in time. This has largely been promulgated by the mainstream media that is non-restrictive on information flowing through it thus initiating millions if not billions of people to these ideologies (Drew, 2013). Their speculations are largely unproven and evidence in support of their claim scarce but they still have a large following in the society across the globe. This is attributed to a number of reasons such as difficulty in doing away with what one believes to be true and mass following that leads people to believe things to be true on the basis that not so many people can be wrong at a go (Byford, 2011).

An image by the Wake up New Zealand organization registered in the U.S. indicating a connection between ownership of financial institution in new Zealand with the NOW.

Image associating the new world order with satanism

Image associating new world order with a popular movement

Image associating popular New world order sect illuminati with the famous celebrities and powerful people.
Discussion and Conclusion
It becomes clear that the late 20th century through to the 21st century has had the biggest surge in conspiracy theories unlike any other time in human history. This cannot be incidental considering it is in-line with rise in the information age that has seen a significant rise in mainstream media thanks to the internet and other technologies. Further, they have been assisted in their endeavors by new forms of social interaction such as social media, email, chat-rooms, blogs and online magazines where people are free to air their concerns and thoughts freely and anonymously if they like. It thus becomes difficult to trace the source of certain information and its legitimacy once it goes viral. Conspiracy theories will continue to arise in the future as long as there are conflict of interests and issues to do with the ‘new world order’ will be a commonality for an unspecified time into the future. All there is to hold on and see how things transpire.

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Research Ethics Review (2006) Vol 2, No 3, 92–97 © The Association of Research Ethics Committees 2006
Received 2 June 2006, accepted 20 July 2006
Original paper
Introduction
The internet is an invaluable resource for recruiting research participants, especially for studies
that require recruitment of clinical or hard to find populations. Indeed, the prevalence of topic
specific online message boards and e-mail lists, provides researchers with a ready-made sampling
frame that they can utilize to access participants who are interested, affiliated and connected to
the topic under investigation [1-3]. A further attraction is that vast amounts of qualitative data
can be acquired with relative ease [4-6]. Collecting data in a textual form significantly reduces
work efforts by eliminating the laborious task of transcription [1, 2, 7]. Although subtle, visual,
non-verbal cues, which help to contextualize the interaction are lost [6, 7], it has been argued
that what is effectively automatic transcription reduces human error, thereby enhancing the
accuracy of data collection, and increasing the validity of any inferences made [4].
The practice of conducting research online is in its infancy and as a result, it presents dilemmas
with which researchers must grapple [8]. Similarly, the formation of rules of conduct and
ethical guidelines for the design and implementation of online research are at an early stage of
development [9]. Consequently, researchers who wish to complete their research via the on-line
environment, in the absence of existing accepted guidelines drawn up specifically for this kind
of work, must think carefully about the ethical implications of their research. In the next section
of this article, we outline three different approaches that we have employed to access qualitative
data via the internet: online focus groups, online interviews and message boards, and highlight
the ethical and methodological issues that employing these approaches can raise.
Assessment of qualitative data via the internet
Online focus groups
Online focus groups have featured with increasing prominence in the psychological literature,
and have been used to explore a wide range of phenomena such as seasonal affective disorder
[10], eating disorders [11] and racial violence [12]. Such groups can be defined as an interactive
and intensive discussion between individuals guided by a specified research question [13].
Rather than conversing face-to-face, the accessibility of web-based ‘host’ programmes enable
globally dispersed individuals to engage in a virtual discussion at their own convenience.
The ethics of using the internet to
collect qualitative research data
KAREN RODHAM and JEFF GAVIN
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.
Email: [email protected]
The practice of conducting research online is in its infancy. Consequently there is debate concerning
the ethical implications of online data collection. We outline three approaches to online data collection
and focus specifically on the issues of consent and anonymity of participants. We conclude that
ethical issues raised when planning and implementing online data collection are no different to those
raised by more traditional approaches to data collection.
Consequently, vast amounts of information can be obtained with relative ease, in a short period
of time [5], while retaining the essential quality of the focus group method: exploring the interaction
between research participants enables the generation of a rich understanding of participants’
experiences and beliefs [14].
Online interviews
Interviews can be conducted with respondents on a one-to-one basis through an exchange of
e-mails. This type of interview can offer a suitable alternative for those respondents who require
greater reassurance of confidentiality and anonymity, or who feel intimidated by the electronic
presence of others in focus groups. The interview method also provides greater scope for indepth
probing of the respondents’ experiences, thus enabling exploration of the complex feelings
and attitudes embedded within an emotionally loaded topic.
Message boards
Message boards are areas on internet sites where individuals write messages to one another
which can stimulate discussion, as other individuals read and respond to the messages.
Researchers can access discussions that have been completed, or can follow discussions as they
develop over time. Message boards can be ‘open’ where anyone can read, post or respond to messages
or ‘closed’ where in order to read or participate in debates, individuals must register with
the site and obtain a password to gain access.
On-line focus groups, on-line interviews and message boards can be used in a synchronous or
real-time manner. In other words, researcher and respondents must be ‘logged-on’ at the same
time, so that the questions which are posed get immediate responses, as in a face-to-face situation.
However, these methods can also be used in an asynchronous manner. This presents
numerous advantages over ‘synchronous’ or real-time methods. Being spread over time, asynchronous
communication eases the pressure of immediate response, allowing the participant to
respond at a time which is convenient to him or her, facilitating their reflexivity and deferring
cognitive resources to the content rather than the management of the conversation [15].
Having outlined three key approaches to online data collection, we turn our attention to two
ethical issues encountered when conducting online research: (1) gaining consent of participants
and (2) confidentiality and anonymity of online participants. We discuss whether internet
researchers face ethical dilemmas that are different to those faced by researchers employing other
more traditional approaches.
Informed consent of participants
The British Psychological Society (BPS) states that wherever possible research investigators
should inform all participants of the objectives of the research and of all the aspects of the
research that may influence a participants’ willingness to take part in the study [16]. We argue
that the decision concerning how to address the issue of consent will differ depending on which
approach to data collection via the internet is adopted. This decision will be informed by the
debate about how public a forum the internet is. The level of ‘public-ness’ (both acknowledged
and perceived) will vary for different environments and will therefore have different implications
for the issue of gaining informed consent.
On-line interviews and focus groups
For approaches that require participants to actively engage with the researcher, either via on-line
interviews or focus groups, we suggest that the general BPS guidelines should be followed
whereby the researcher informs all participants of all aspects of the research so that they can
decide whether or not they want to take part in the research. We also suggest that in these cases
The ethics of using the internet to collect qualitative research data 93
the moderator of each website identified and selected through the screening process should be
contacted and their consent sought for the proposed research. Ideally the moderator should be
sent an introductory e-mail plus an outline of the proposed research and a summary of ethical
considerations.
Once approval is gained, a participant recruitment notice can be posted on the website in order
to recruit participants. This should outline the aims, purpose and nature of the study. Volunteers
can then be asked to express their interest via e-mail. Those expressing a wish to participate should
be promptly acknowledged and asked for confirmation of their age (if participants who are aged
less than 16 years respond, consent should be sought from parents, whereas participants aged 16
years or above are deemed to be capable of giving their informed consent). Obtaining a person’s
informed consent means that the researcher has to be sure that the individual concerned is aware
of the aims of the research that is being proposed, and is clear about what will happen to the
research findings. The participant must also be made aware that they can withdraw from the
research at any time. They will need to give their explicit consent to taking part in the research and
give their permission for the researcher to record, analyze and report any data collected.
This process can be problematic because the internet allows individuals to conceal all or
parts of their identity, or in fact allows them to adopt an alternative identity. Furthermore, and
more worryingly, because the researcher is somewhat removed from the interactions, it is entirely
possible that someone whom a researcher has excluded from the research because they are
under 16 years of age, may at a later date, pose as someone over the age of 16, or may fake
parental permission and therefore appear to be eligible to take part in the research. This problem
was acknowledged in work with chronically ill children [16]. It was noted that there was no
foolproof way of ensuring that the data collected had come from children, or indeed that the permissions
for children to take part had come from their parents. This was acknowledged as a limitation
of using the internet. However, this issue is not one which is exclusively a problem for
those of us who gather our data via the internet. For example, researchers who collect data via
means of questionnaires and interviews are also reliant on the participant to provide honest
answers. It is no more difficult to create a different identity when completing questionnaires,
answering an interviewer’s questions or by taking part in online research. As we have mentioned,
there is no guarantee that a questionnaire will be completed by the target person, or that interviewees
or those taking part in focus groups ‘offline’ will express their ‘true’ feelings. Indeed, it
may be that the internet is more suited to collecting such data as people feel freer to express their
‘true’ feelings. Thus, the validity of the responses elicited relies heavily on participants’ integrity
and honesty, regardless of the method used to elucidate the information.
Message boards
It is possible to argue that anyone who has access to the internet can view the content of ‘open
message boards’ or post messages on them. Message boards could therefore be regarded as being
in the public domain and consequently not subject to the requirement that the researcher
obtains informed consent prior to using data collected from such environments (see BPS
Guidelines). Individual contributions to the message board can therefore be considered in the
same way as individual naturalistic observations in a public space. Furthermore, message boards
are generally perceived and acknowledged by users as being public domains.
The ‘open message board’ is therefore considered to be both a public domain, as well as an
environment where those posting and/or replying to posts would expect to be observed by others.
Indeed, individuals posting onto an open message board are aware that their message can be
read by anyone who has access to the internet. Indeed, it has been further argued that messages
which are posted on such open forums are public acts, deliberately intended for public consumption,
which means that researchers need not take more than ‘normal precautions’ when
accessing such data [17]. We therefore argue that as long as researchers’ maintain the confiden-
94 Karen Rodham and Jeff Gavin
tiality of the individuals who have ‘posted’ and record data in a manner that would not cause
personal identification, it is not necessary to seek consent of individuals using open message
boards because ethical boundaries are not crossed.
In contrast, we suggest that obtaining and using data from closed message boards or chatrooms,
without first gaining consent from individuals who use these media, would be unethical.
These forums typically require those individuals who wish to use them to formally register with
the site in order to gain access. Engagement with such an environment is therefore restricted
only to those who have registered with the site and so can be considered to be both acknowledged
and perceived as being more private than message boards. However, it is widely known
that there are people who register with closed message boards in order to observe the discussions,
rather than take part (such people are known as ‘lurkers’) [eg18]. It would be very
straightforward for a researcher to do the same, in order access this data with relative ease, but
we question the ethics of doing so in an environment that is deemed private or closed.
Thus, accessing such a chatroom or closed message board data without first obtaining the
informed consent of those who are interacting in the environment which they consider to be relatively
private, would be unethical. Furthermore, the BPS states that ‘if the participants are likely
to object or show unease once debriefed’, withholding information is unacceptable. Accessing
data in this way is therefore likely to be classed as a form of deception on the part of the
researcher. It is therefore of paramount importance in this situation that the researcher reveals
their status to the managers and users of these forums and seeks consent to use the text discussions
in research.
Thus collecting data via the medium of the internet is subject to the same considerations as
other methods of data collection. In other words the perceived and acknowledged privacy of the
particular (in this case, internet) environment being targeted for research needs to be respected
and the issue of when it is appropriate to seek informed consent carefully considered. In line
with other commentators [19] we differentiate between data collected from private or semi-private
sources (such as email or closed chatrooms) and those accessed through more open forums
(such as bulletin or message boards).
Confidentiality and anonymity of participants
We have already mentioned that an important feature of the online research venue is the perception
of anonymity it affords [20]. Anonymity has been shown to have a disinhibiting effect [1],
social desirability is diminished [7] and the exchange of ‘true’ attitudes and opinions is encouraged
[4]. This has been likened to the concept of ‘strangers on a train’, where a person feels able
to disclose intimate details to a stranger sitting on the next seat [21]. The cost of divulging information
via the internet (ie to a stranger) is significantly reduced [15], particularly when discussing
sensitive topics.
Thus the anonymity of cyberspace allows internet users to express themselves in ways that
may be constrained in their real world interactions. As recent identity-related research indicates,
the internet is thought to enable the expression of a more ‘authentic self’ than is possible in daily
life [20-22]. For some internet users the perceived anonymity of online activity affords an opportunity
to give expression to normally withheld, or even pre-conscious, facets of themselves as
they are freed from the inhibitions of face-to-face interaction. Indeed, it has been argued that the
online persona is the ‘core self’, because as diminished social desirability reduces evaluative concerns,
self-disclosure and the exchange of ‘true’ feelings are promoted [15].
However, it is important to point out that although online venues may appear private and
encourage the disclosure of personal thoughts, they are, in reality public domains, that are relatively
easy to access and afford little guarantee of absolute confidentiality or anonymity [2]. It is
therefore important if engaging in the practice of ‘harvesting’ (collecting the words of others)
from open sites, both the composers of the words and the name of the site hosting the message
The ethics of using the internet to collect qualitative research data 95
board itself should be given pseudonyms in the write up of the research. Such practices serve to
protect the anonymity of those whose words are being quoted and of the site concerned. This is
even more salient when research is being conducted via more closed forums, and when asking
participants for their consent, the ‘public/private paradox’ should be highlighted in order that
participants can make an informed decision as to whether or not they wish to take part.
In addition, the public nature of the internet environment can make it impossible to forbid
others who are not participating in the focus group research from reading participants’ responses,
thus effectively forming a breech of confidentiality. It is therefore important to ensure that
potential participants are aware of the public nature of the forum before they consent to take part
in the research. Linked to this, a difficult problem to resolve when conducting research in the
internet environment is the inability to prevent non-participants from disrupting the focus
groups through the posting of ‘flaming’ messages, whereby angry or insulting words about a person,
issue or topic, are posted on the discussion forum. Whether this creates a differential effect
both within and across the focus groups is hard to determine, although when it has happened
in our research, the support that focus group participants offer one another (and the researcher)
indicates that they are able to continue regardless of the outside intrusion.
It is possible with technical support, to set up closed on-line focus groups that participants
who have expressed an interest in taking part in the research could sign up to. This would
address the two problems of unwanted contributions from other internet users who are not
signed up to the research and of non-participants being able to read the responses to questions
posted during focus group discussions.
Conclusion
The practice of conducting research online is in its infancy and the formation of rules of conduct
and ethical guidelines for the design and implementation of online research are at an early
stage of development. Consequently, there is a lack of clear consensus about ethical issues such
as confidentiality and consent. Most researchers who have written on the subject have distinguished
between private or semi-private online venues and the more open forums, such as message
boards. The general trend seems to be that the more private venues require more effort on
the part of researchers to ensure that the individuals whose words are being used for research
purposes are made aware of this, and their consent sought, whereas the more open forums can
be considered to be public domains and treated as such in research terms, thereby the issue of
consent is implied by the act of writing in such forums. Indeed, Mann and Stewart suggest that
in sending or posting a message, there is an implied licence to read or even archive the information
that the message contains [8]. However, there are some exceptions to this trend; Sharf for
example, suggests that even when accessing open message boards, if a researcher plans to use a
message, the person who posted it should be contacted and their explicit permission sought [9].
We suggest that this is an unnecessarily extreme position to take.
In this paper we have focused on two issues of primary ethical importance when designing
and implementing research: gaining consent from, and anonymity and confidentiality of, participants.
We believe that the decision-making process that internet researchers engage in when
considering these issues should be no different to the process employed by researchers using
more traditional means to access qualitative data.
We therefore argue that ethical issues encountered when planning and implementing
research online are no different when conducting research by more traditional means. As psychologists,
we find that the ethical code of conduct written by the British Psychological Society
applies equally well to data collected via the internet as to other approaches to data collection.
Providing the overarching principle of ‘do no harm’ is abided by, we argue that conducting
research via the internet poses no more ethical dilemmas than when conducting research by
more traditional means.
96 Karen Rodham and Jeff Gavin
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