Qualitative Research Paradigms in Media and Communication Research: A Conceptual Review

Abstract

This paper presents a conceptual review of qualitative research paradigms and their relevance to media and communication research in the digital era. The review examines the major qualitative paradigms, namely interpretivism, constructivism, and the critical paradigm, and explains how each provides a useful foundation for understanding communication processes, media practices, audience experiences, and social interactions. The study further discusses the application of these paradigms in various areas in communication and media studies. In addition, the paper highlights some of the challenges associated with applying qualitative research paradigms, including researcher subjectivity, issues of trustworthiness, participant recruitment, and the interpretation of large volumes of digital data. The review argues that despite these challenges, qualitative research paradigms remain highly relevant because they enable researchers to gain a deeper understanding of human experiences, meanings, and communication practices within their natural social and cultural settings. The paper concludes that the continued advancement of digital communication technologies has further strengthened the importance of qualitative research paradigms in producing rich, credible, and context-sensitive knowledge that can inform media practice, policy development, and future communication research.