MRSL Survey and how to capture unbiased statistical data

The article “Study: Like it or not, behavioral ad targeting works”, published March 24, 2010 9:01 AM PDT by Caroline McCarthy, CNET News – The Social has deep implications for the survival of not only advertising in Jamaica but also the Broadcasters and Newspapers

This as the Big Three Telecoms Providers roll out their Mobile 3G and WiMaX 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d,e) Networks. As Internet usage picks up, an increasing number of the market demographic that advertisers target via the various Media are opting instead to get most of their content from the Internet, be it Social Networks, such as FaceBook, FourSquare, Hi5 and Twitter.

Media Practitioner Marcia Forbes has joined as stated in her article “Twitter, Twits and Tweets”, published Thursday 22^nd April 2010 by Marcia Forbes, The Jamaica Observer.

This was long forecasted by the research note published by Morgan Stanley intern Matthew Robson, aged fifteen (15) years old at the time, which he wrote in 2009, entitled  “How Teenagers Consume Media: the report that shook the City”, published Monday 13 July 2009 10.23 BST, by The Guardian.

The 2009 MRSL All Media Survey, now out and about scaring the Media darlings out of their wits like a fang toothed hobgoblin, is now relevant, as it has finally included a section on the usage on Internet, albeit not on its impact on the traditional  Broadcasters, be they Radio or Television and the Newspapers.

But this brings to fore the Survey methods of the MRSL, as their Survey indicated the level of Internet usage among a sample of 937,000 people Surveyed, supposedly representing a varied cross section of the Jamaican Public as stated in the article “'Jamaica to the World' via the Internet”, published Thursday March 25^th 2010, by Marcia Forbes, The Jamaica Observer.

Marcia Forbes noted in this first publication of the 2009 MRSL All Media Survey which takes into account the effect of the Internet on Newspaper readership that its focus was unscientific and myopic.

It has left many unanswered questions, most curious of which is the fall off in usage of Internet among the 20 – 24 age group demographic, which, being as I regularly interact with young people in this age range, I can easily explain: Social Control.

Young people being surveyed, may have noticed the pattern of questioning of the Survey, or worse, the MRSL may have blurted out the fact that it was the one conducting the Survey.

Thus the University of the West Indies students (like duh-uh, who else in the 20-24 age range uses the Internet?), fearing that their free Internet would be censored due to complaints and thinly veiled threats with regards to their research methodologies which mainly involved gaining information from the Internet as opposed to using published material in the library or purchased textbooks, simply lied on the Survey.

In hopes that their easy “information and research” medium (mainly Wikipedia and book downloads from The Pirate Bay file sharing website e.g. Solomon’s Organic Chemistry: the Internet, the poor University of the West Indies Research student’s friend!!) would not be blocked, as many of them just cannot access the dwindling number of outdated books in the library or cannot purchase the latest copy of that much needed textbook.

In case this Anecdotal explanation does not suffice, consider the following:  The 2009 MRSL All Media Survey research methodology relied heavily on the usage of questionnaires only.

There apparently was no attempt to make sure that the information garnered from the young people in their sample was the fact the truth i.e. polygraphs tests, multiple samplings, anonymous random sampling methodologies, etc.

Obviously young people, seeing as they were the focus of the research, accounting for the bulk of Internet users would naturally give responses that would be seen as favorable and not against the status quo as set by adults, especially as it relates their abuse of privilege with regards to Internet access.

This as many students on campus are guilty of using the Internet for other things such as Social Networking, music and movie downloading and playing video games.

Something which I witnessed in the Computer Sciences Department in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences Department every Thursday when students are supposed to be involved in extra-curricular activities on campus.

Thus they avoid not only possibly problems from their peers but also the University of the West Indies Administration by asserting in this Survey by a third party researcher [MRSL] that they are not so into the Internet as the adults expect.

The young people in 2009 MRSL All Media Survey sample may have even viewed this research as a means of bringing them back into line, effectively a form of Social control as stated in “Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective”, authors Peter L. Berger, published by Doubleday and Company Inc, Garden City, New York (1963), p 68 - 92.

Thus, albeit questionnaires are a scientific method of Data collection, it is prone to flaws, as in sampling, as according to Sir Clause A. Moser, the sampler has “good reason to believe that the material they are sampling is so homogenous or ‘well mixed’ that the sample will adequately represent the whole” as stated in “Social Methods in Social Investigation”, authors Sir Clause. A. Moser and G. Kalton, published by Heinemann Educational Books, 48 Charles Street, London, WIX 8AH (1975), p. 57.

Thus the reader of 2009 MRSL All Media Survey is left to wonder what would have been the result if they had just simply done the Survey in a more scientific manner, which would satisfy even skeptical Media consultants such as Marcia Forbes, now tweeting on Twitter in an attempt to elucidate the truth.

For the record, I do not log on to twitter in my own name, an old trick I learned from in the days when it was just chatrooms, blogs and thread postings.

This as on the Internet, unless your computer or device used to access the Internet has the MAC Address, Phone Numbers, Phone Instruments (Mobile, Fixed Line Mobile, landline or wired /wireless modems) IMEI and SIM Cards (Mobile, Fixed Line Mobile, landline or wired /wireless modems) registered in your name using Government of Jamaica approved identification i.e. Voters ID, Drivers License, Passport, TRN, Birth Certificate, anonymity on the Internet is guaranteed.

Thus the likes of yours truly can even keep personal friends with TV Reality Stars such as Kim Kardashian (Kim K) and Sanaa Lathan, or at least friendship within the context of FaceBook.

So before another flawed statistical review comes out of the MRSL, which has been reliably recording the precipitous and alarming decline of the viewership, readership and listenership of the Broadcasters in both in Television, Radio as well as the Newspapers respectively.

I would like to make a suggestion as to how to ensure that the Data is correct this time around for the MRSL.

Instead of issuing Surveys or cold calling people over the phone to disturb them while they enjoy their little peace from the slave master’s work at home, an alternative to this currently research methodology would be to request volunteers for the Survey via the various Media i.e. Radio, Television and Newspapers, to sign up to be Surveyed using FaceBook, which has Survey and statistical Data collection tools that can be used to collect Data from persons who log on to the Social Networking website.

MRSL would simply create a corporate page and members would join. The members of FaceBook on this page would be invited to take the Survey by clicking on the link on their FaceBook page.

This would either lead to a polling application on FaceBook or would connect them to MRSL’s own website, specifically the portions set up to collect the statistical Data and store it on their own Database. The user would not need to authenticate themselves to the MRSL’s website, as they already had done so by just logging on to FaceBook.

Upon completing the Survey, the user would get a reward, much in the same way rewards are given for people for completing Surveys e.g. the privilege of receiving unlimited access to their statistical Database at the company’s website.

This as access to other statistical Databases and sources of information in private Databases which as University students, one would normally have to pay to get information necessary to do research while at the University or College e.g. Analytica Chimica Acta, and maybe even a company polo shirt, coffee mug and a cap, books, etc. with a Motorola Droid from Telecom Provider Digicel thrown in for good measure if you like being really creative.

This would be an excellent tradeoff, as students are unlikely to “spill their guts” as expressed in American parlance and “talk up di tings dem” as expressed in Jamaican parlance as it relates to their actual Internet usage habits.

This might seem a bit odd to have the MRSL Survey done on the Internet, but controlling who does the Survey is very easy, as only persons who are Jamaican nationals and not workers with any of the various Media houses in Jamaica, easily verified by the exchange codes of their Mobile Phone or Fixed Line numbers submitted while doing the Survey.

Further verification can be provided by checking the Mobile and Fixed Line numbers and names by a simple checking script on the MRSL website that would check the number submitted against a Database of Mobile and Fixed Line numbers for practitioners from the traditional Media houses.

Thus, once you phone number is not in this Database, then logically you are not a Media Practitioner and thus would be eligible to take the Survey, as a Mobile Phone or Fixed Line number is needed so that the MRSL staff can also conduct the traditional phone interviews.

This methodology is not only better, as it is cheaper and saves time, satisfying the requirements of a scientific statistical Survey, but it is viral in nature, as it takes advantage of FaceBook and offers participants on FaceBook sponsored prizes as a means of enticing participants to take the Survey, as the same people who use the Internet also have Mobile Phones.

Thus a website based Survey combined with a Mobile Phone based Survey for the MRSL can not only guarantee the independence of the Survey body but also result in a more accurate Survey reflective of what is actually happening in the ever changing Media landscape as Wireless Broadband Internet begins to expand in its usage across Jamaica.