Using recorded visual data: Doing online interviews

Abstract

Using as a starting point an idea expressed by Thomas Scheff in the 1980s about the benefit of having video recordings of interviews that have been done, I discuss in this article how online research interviews via communication platforms such as Zoom or Skype can strengthen research studies. The specific benefits of having a visual recording of an interview in addition to an audio recording are discussed and consideration is also given to why Scheff’s proposal did not receive greater acceptance in practice among the community of researchers when it was first proposed. The obstacles that might have impeded the application of Scheff’s proposal by researchers over the years are outlined and suggestions are made as to why modern communication platforms such as Zoom and Skype might now enable Scheff’s proposal to be implemented in research studies that utilize interviews as a method of inquiry.