The hidden, manipulated, and secret information world of gambling addiction: Maximizing use of in-depth, narrative interviews to understand social impact

The in-depth, narrative interview approach, its use as a storytelling vehicle, and its effectiveness in combination with other qualitative methods to elicit individuals' experiences and perspectives on the information behaviors which contribute to the social impact of gambling addiction is presented. This focus on the information behaviors of individuals affected by gambling allows them to speak out about a problem that is often side-lined, in part because it has been hidden and remains misunderstood in wider society. Collecting people's lived experiences supports a meaningful analysis of how people navigate information to respond to the problems associated with addiction, creating an understanding of social impact beyond the story of the numbers about addiction and offering policymakers a significant perspective to ameliorate marginalization of individuals.