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Qualitative Health Research
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Evaluating Internet Interviews With Gay Men

Russel Ayling

Barts and the London NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom

Avril J. Mewse

University of Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom

In this article we describe the use of the Internet to conduct online synchronous interviews on gay men's experiences of Internet sex-seeking and barebacking, using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). We then present the results of a separate IPA of the issues we encountered during the research. The analysis is focused around four superordinate themes: positive experience, technological issues, boundaries, and requests/expectations. We argue that online qualitative research is valuable in its own right, and that the advantages considerably outweigh the difficulties. This is particularly true in accessing individuals who might not participate in other types of research settings to discuss experiences that would otherwise be too difficult to talk about. Several issues that are problematic in more conventional research still apply, albeit in a different guise, but these must be situated in the context of who or what is being researched, and why, and can be largely overcome with more creative methodologies and considered preparation.

Key Words: gays and lesbians • HIV/AIDS • Internet • interpretive methods • psychology • psychotherapy • research • online • risk • behaviors • sexual health • sexuality

Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 19, No. 4, 566-576 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1049732309332121
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