Qualitative media diaries: An instrument for doing research from a mobile media ethnographic perspective

This article outlines the benefits of qualitative media diaries as a methodological tool for empirical research on mediatization and mobility. If applied within the wider field of mobile media ethnography, diaries can contribute to the analysis of mediated interaction even in transit. The idea of this methodological approach is to receive detailed information about an individual’s communicative relationships and practices articulated via various (mobile) media technologies on an everyday basis. Providing a theoretical frame for mediatization and mobility, the authors summarize the development of mobile media ethnography and present an overview of the application of diaries in media and communication research. Drawing on empirical studies in two fields of inquiry – diasporic communities and job-related mobility – the central aspect of this article is to reflect on the workings of and experiences with the application of qualitative media diaries.