Hello there, I think it is well past time that I made an update on here! It has been a busy month since my last update and I have some things to share. However, there have been some challenges that held me back from making an update. Challenge number one: ethics, if anything this project has taught me it's an appreciation and reverence for university ethics boards, they are correctly rigorous! However, due to this, it has led to some timescale adjustments. Originally the survey was supposed to be open for two weeks but this was shortened to one week. This means I will still have enough time for data analysis and to write my report. Whilst getting ethical approval I did have other tasks such as completing my literature review and preparing the survey.

I also worked on strengthening connections as once ethics was approved I wanted to begin sharing the survey as quickly and widely as possible. I went through a number of channels to distribute the survey to try and get a variation in the sample. This survey is not designed for a high volume of responses but rather a smaller range of high-quality responses which has changed the approach to reaching out to participants. As a result, I packaged the survey in a way that encouraged more in-depth responses and expected this to lead to a lower number of total respondents. The results of the survey however will be shared at a later date (sometime in September!)

Overall the process has been highly insightful and a welcomed learning curve. Not only in research but also just management (especially self-management) in general. Adjusting expectations as well as timelines is something that has been done a few times throughout the project but it hasn't dampened my enthusiasm or optimism for the final outcomes - in fact, I am extremely excited to share my research with you all in the end. As someone who does want to go into research in the future learning about ethics now, in a first-hand way rather than in a lecture, will help me immensely. 

I got to have some amazing discussions with many amazing people about my project, and their own experiences and even just from sharing the survey link I have already engaged in connections about other existing research and people who work with older adults. It is clear there is an existing enthusiasm for the area and I am excited to contribute to this network!

My next steps (as the survey closed earlier this week) will be exporting and analysing data. As a qualitative study, I plan to take a thematic approach to data analysis. I am expecting very mixed responses and therefore rather than looking for one answer I want to explore the numerous ways in which people respond to social media use. The survey was intended as a way for older adults to share their own thoughts on the topic and therefore each contribution will be important. Once I have an understanding of the data I want to then go back to my literature review and update it with links to my own findings and the implications of this. Finally, I will sum up my research in the poster and a small report. Then, come two weeks' time, my Laidlaw project will be done (it's almost hard to believe).

But I'm rambling now, so here we go! The final stretch of the project.