A Case Study of Social Media and Remote Communications in Military Research: Examining Military and Deployment Experiences of Army Women

Abstract

Military research requires innovative methods to access a highly mobile, technologically savvy population subject to stressful work environments, frequent relocations, prolonged family separations, and overseas deployments. Social media and remote communication technology allow researchers to recruit military service members and their families for quantitative and qualitative research regardless of geographical location or time zone. Understanding the benefits and risks of using these technologies is essential to optimizing sampling strategy, data security, confidentiality, and ethical application of technology in military research. This case study describes the use of social media and remote communication technology in mixed-methods research examining military service and deployment experiences of women serving in the United States Army during Operations Iraqi Freedom, Operations Enduring Freedom, and Operations New Dawn. Implications for using social media and remote communications in future military research are also discussed.

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