Mobile Methodologies: Theory, Technology and Practice

TLDR

This article reviews developments in mobile methodologies, covering theory, technologies, and practice. The study focuses on mobile methods where both subject and researcher are in motion, aiming to assess how such methods can transform field research. The authors employ the mobilities paradigm to identify key tenets of mobile methodologies and examine how GIS technologies enable rigorous investigation of walking’s effect on interviews, reviewing past and present applications. Current GIS-based studies show that walking can influence interview dynamics, and the authors conclude that mobile methods hold promise for advancing social science research.

Abstract

Abstract This article reviews developments in ‘mobile methodologies’, looking at the theory, technologies and practice of mobile methods. We focus specifically on methods where the research subject and researcher are in motion in the ‘field’, and seek to understand what difference mobile methods can make to research. Drawing on the broader mobilities paradigm, we identify the key tenets of mobile methodologies, and then discuss the role that technologies such as geographical information systems can play in opening up this new approach to research. The article reviews past and present work that has utilised mobile methods, highlighting key opportunities and challenges. We consider current attempts to use geographical information systems to rigorously investigate the effect that walking has on an interview process, and conclude by summarising the potential for mobile methods to inform social scientific research.