Emerging trends in qualitative research : a focus on Social Media

Qualitative research has undergone transformative changes. Traditionally, qualitative data was gained through interviews, focus groups or documents in what was widely considered to be an expensive and time consuming process. Thanks to the evolution of technology - and the emergence of social media and mobile in particular - the qualitative research is fundamentally changing. In this Special Issue, we will explore the evolving and changing environment in the qualitative research domain from three different aspects: data sources, data collection and data analysis. We will also investigate hurdles and challenges related to the development of the discipline. In particular, we question about the ethical behaviour in the data collection and analysis and we will also provide implications from a research, teaching and managerial point of view. [Publisher's text].