Introduction
In ethnographic research, interviews are often underestimated. Even though an interview is not a principal research method, it can provide the researcher with valuable data reflective of beliefs, ideologies, informant’s commentaries on cultural conventions, customs, etc. In this regard, interviews can be efficiently used in addition to the central means of research both online and offline.
Main body
First of all, an interview is not sufficient as an isolated method, but it can be very helpful when practiced along with observation. In this case, it gives the researchers valuable information, which proves or refutes the data obtained through observation, and complements it.
Trust development is a crucial skill for any ethnographer as it supports productive conversation. Trust and rapport can be achieved by a non-judgemental attitude; the questioner must show that his major goal is to reach a total understanding. This kind of attitude creates an opportunity to build a good connection with the informant and to receive deep responses, new thoughts, and comprehension. One more way to generate such deep responses is encouraging informants to talk about the nuances and details of the topic. The interviewer must apply open-ended questions, which slow down the conversation and give the informant time to think and reflect.
There always must be a prepared list of questions. Usually, the list consists of up to 10 questions, because the long list doesn’t give enough time for profound answers. The list is used as a basis, but a good conversation always includes impromptu. The skill of listening is essential for improvisation. The questioner also needs to pay great attention to the context and the observation of the informant’s behavior, the nonverbal components of his speech.
The mentioned patterns can be applied to online interviewing as well, but since the relations between virtual and physical realities are often difficult, some specific features regarding the interviews in the online context take place.
The online interviewer is bound to deal with a lack of non-verbal speech components: tones, gestures, and facial expressions. Such nuances are usually very helpful in speech understanding, but rarely accessible online. In virtual reality, the researcher becomes a “textual listener”. It means that the communication happens in the form of written text and it is comprehended differently. The pace of text communication also differs from live communication, it takes much more time, the questions and answers have a gap. Despite it all, many people feel freer in online textual forms of conversation and thus give more deep and extensive answers.
A group interview is one more specific kind of online and offline interviewing. This method lies between observation and interview, and it has a social context. During the group interview, the informants interact with each other, and it is necessary to arrange an environment that allows all the members to be included in the conversation. It is also important to pay attention to the inequality between the group members, and it is better to form groups considering the age, gender, and class of the participants.
Conclusion
Although the interviewing isn’t adequate when it’s isolated and it cannot be applied as a principal method of research, interviews allow deriving some valuable information that is impossible to get through any other method. Interviewing can apply to both online and offline environments. Despite the differences between the virtual and the physical realities, following the few common rules of the conversation construction will contribute to the interview’s success.