The Grounded Theory and the Analysis of Audio-Visual Texts

The aim of this article is to propose a methodological basis for the analysis of audio-visual, media-produced data. Based on the difference between the use of audio-visual material as a ‘lens’ through which a certain phenomenon is studied and the study of audio-visual data as a phenomenon in itself, ways are suggested to make use of the grounded theory research method for the study of this specific kind of data, while at the same time still respecting its nature. After discussing the difference between these two possible uses of audio-visual data for research purposes (as a ‘lens’ or as the phenomenon itself), a research procedure based on the grounded theory and Herbert Blumer’s ‘analytical elements’ is proposed for the study of audio-visual media data as a phenomenon in itself.