Blog Post #7 - Question 4

4) What are the advantages and disadvantages of content analysis?

     Understanding the underlying meaning behind information can be deciphered by using content analysis. Arthur Asa Burger describes Content analysis as being “…a research technique that involves measuring something in a random sampling of some form of communication. Investigating messages and communication allows for some insight into some aspect of the people who receive these messages.

     Utilizing content analysis brings a whole new meaning to light and it can allow for a greater appreciation for the content. There are both advantages and disadvantages to content analysis. Here are some advantages to using this research technique: it is inexpensive to conduct, it is usually relatively easy to get material, it is unobtrusive (and thus doesn’t influence its subjects, it yields data that can be quantified, and it can be used to examine current events, past events, or both. Of course, there are some drawbacks to this technique. These disadvantages include: it is hard to be certain that the sample studied is representative, it is often hard to obtain a good working definition of the topic being studied, it isn’t always easy to find a measurable unit, such as a frame in a comic strip, and it isn’t possible to prove that the inferences made on the basis of content analysis are correct. Even though there are disadvantages, there are ways to reduce the downfalls by effectively using content analysis.

     Researchers have begun to focus on what they want to understand and started using categories to aid them. For example, here are some possible category topics for comics: physical characteristics of heroes and heroines, villains and villainesses, social characteristics, and the emotional nature of characters. Categorizing the medium chosen will allow for a more in depth analysis.

     Even though there are strengths and weaknesses to content analysis, it is still a viable technique in wanting to understand more. By researching and discovering new information about the chosen medium, a greater mindset about it can form. Content analysis, when used correctly, will show that there is not just one set of information presented, but many underlying ones to be found.