Virtual connections: representation and commercial qualitative research

This paper explores the question of representation within commercial qualitative research in the context of a broader "crisis of representation". It will be argued that a comparison between academic and commercial qualitative research highlights very different contexts in which to raise and deal with questions of representation. Further, it is suggested that the comparison between commercial and academic qualitative research reveals a tension between virtualism and the iconography of authenticity. The paper ends by arguing that, within commercial qualitative research, virtualism is a key route towards bringing a more pragmatic and insightful approach to research.