Social research 2.0: virtual snowball sampling method using Facebook
Purpose The aim of this paper is to present a sampling method using virtual networks to study "hard to reach" populations. In the ambit of social research, the use of new technologies is still questioned because the selection bias is an obstacle to carry on scientific research on the Internet. In this regard, the authors' hypothesis is that the use of social networking sites (Web 2.0) can be effective for the study of "hard to reach" populations. The main advantages of this technique are that it can expand the geographical scope and facilitates the identification of individuals with barriers to access. Therefore, the use of virtual networks in non probabilistic samples can increase the sample size and its representativeness.Design/methodology/approach To test this hypothesis, a virtual method was designed using Facebook to identify Argentinean immigrant entrepreneurs in Spain (214 cases) A characteristic of this population is that some individuals are administratively invisible in national statistics.
Internet Res.