Discord: Methodological considerations for qualitative research and equality

This paper outlines methodological considerations which arise from Discord, an accessible digital-platform that has been widely mobilized for online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Building upon a qualitative study conducted to improve access-to-knowledge and research-engagement for diverse marginalized groups, evidence suggests that Discord presents flexible functionality - including artificial intelligence -serving community-development or community-engagement initiatives. Notably, Discord helped facilitate both the targeted engagement and qualitative interviews with participants who lived with multiple simultaneous marginalizations – including lower socioeconomic status; racial minority; existing health or disability; and remote geography. Compared to other audiovisual communication platforms or general social media applications, Discord presents unique structure with significant implications for participant autonomy and equitable power relations for collaborative participation. Implications for (1) research and engagement ethics, (2) youth-inclusive community engagement amidst a digital divide, and (3) multimodal richness of perspectives and data are discussed, with limitations of Discord and future methodological investigations concluding the paper.