• How can quantifying this aspect of the issue help to inform your research?

Although my research will primarily focus on the qualitative method, one section of the study will be analyzed using quantitative tools. I will be examining the social media analytical tools to determine the “reach” of certain content and messages. I will also use the relevant numbers regarding mass protests such as the number of protestors, the number of military crackdowns, the number of telegram groups/group members etc.,.

  • What makes it meaningful? What intellectual, cultural or political controversies might arise from such an analysis?

I am hoping these numbers will confirm or disconfirm the theory of the effectiveness of digital communication or social media in political change. This topic could be considered controversial since the international attention lately has been on the harmful consequences of social media, and additionally, there are also previous studies debunking the social media affect in the Arab Spring as well.

  • Given the above, how would you operationalize this aspect of your analysis?

In terms of operationalization, I will use these quantifiable data to determine a certain quality of the results which is “effectiveness”.

For example, I will study the data on “reach” of the posts about organizing a mass protests using social media analytical tools, and then determine its effectiveness by comparing the number with the actual ground data on the number of protestors.

  • What would constitute a valid sample for your analysis?

For example, the data I am analyzing should be from verified accounts of key political figures, organizers, activists, or official organizations and instituitions.

  • What are the potentials for bias in collecting your data? How might these be used to your advantage?

Due to privacy and security issues, I could be limited in accessing all the actual data that were published at the time of the studied period. For example, some original posts/accounts/messages could have been deleted by now due to surveillance activities by the military.

  • Given the above, how difficult will it be to guarantee the representativeness, accuracy, and meaningfulness of such an analysis?

In deed, this problem could challenge the reliability of the results. However, as mentioned above, I will primarily use qualitative data such as interviews to consider the effectiveness of certain tools and tactics so the quality of the research outcomes should not be significantly compromised.