ABSTRACT
Restricted mobility of the population during the COVID-19 pandemic has forced innovations in social and humanities research. Social and physical distancing policies demand social research, which tends to require direct interaction, to be mediated, through online-based applications. The use of digital platforms, such as social media, has become a new force for social humanities research. This paper aims to provide practical contributions for academics and researchers in the social humanities field to continue researching during the pandemic. Various variants of digital methods, such as netnography, digital ethnography, and virtual ethnography, are tools that aid in producing quality research. Likewise, data collection techniques that previously required face-to-face meetings or interactions can now be performed online, such as online interviews, the use of online questionnaires, and web-based data mining. The ethics of using digital media is also important so that research can maintain scientific significance and data validation. This research uses the literature study method for one year, starting March 2020. The researcher participates in several online scientific forums related to the implementation of research during the pandemic and is also actively involved in collecting digital research method literature together with academics and researchers from all over the country. Data in the form of research journals, e-books, and working papers discussing research techniques during the pandemic are collected in one digital folder and stored online using Google Drive. The results show that qualitative research using digital platforms, or the Internet, can be carried out by prioritizing conventional qualitative research principles. The data collection process makes it possible to adjust to the conditions during the research while still following the rules of research ethics in general.
