ABSTRACT
Facebook is increasingly used for recruiting research participants, especially for quantitative studies and research in the health field. Migration scholars have also noticed its potential. This chapter discusses using online social networks to recruit migrants for qualitative interviews. It is based on a review of the literature and the research project which is the focus of this book, which consisted of interviews with 73 Polish migrants to four other countries of the European Union (EU): the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. The use of Facebook for recruitment brought huge benefits: it enabled access to a wide range of respondents in terms of geographic location and access to people who would not have agreed to an interview in person. Among the challenges were the representativeness of members of Polish Facebook groups, technical issues and threats to the privacy of the respondents. This text also discusses the benefits of and difficulties linked with conducting interviews online through internet communicators (Skype, Zoom, Facebook, Messenger etc.).
