Telling stories with textual and visual analyses

In this chapter, we discuss critical factors in the analysis of visual and textual materials, and outline a process through which these types of data can provide empirical evidence that help to explain dynamic and emerging social phenomena. We underscore the value of images and language in enabling researchers to conduct multifaceted studies and tell compelling stories through symbolic representations and verbatim language of individual and collective voices. We begin with an overview of how these materials are used in qualitative research (e.g. through interview transcriptions, field notes, marketing communications, articles, books and online and offline dialogue), as well as visual materials (e.g. images, films, photographs and ads). We highlight key considerations in analyzing such data, including unit and level of analysis, leveraging emic and/or etic perspectives, and zooming in and out on specific phenomena in complex contexts.