Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Youth Research in Web 2.0 A Case Study of Blog Analysis Helene Snee, Sociology, University of Manchester

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Outline Web 2.0 Gap Year Research Why blogs? Methodological Issues –Representative? –Data Analysis –Authenticity Ethical Issues –Subject or Author? –Informed Consent Ethical Decision-Making

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Web 2.0 Social software and user content Producers = users Interaction ‘Archives of everyday life’ –“preferences, choices, views, gender, physical attributes, geographical locations, background, employment and educational history, photographs…” (Beer and Burrows 2007) The personal is now public

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Gap Year Research Young people taking a year out –Overseas –Between school and university Travel, employability and cultural capital Two sources of qualitative data –Blogs –Interviews

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester (Huffaker, 2006: 3)

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Why Blogs? Practical advantages, e.g. access Wealth of data Unobtrusive –Presentation of gap year stories –Own language and reflections Combining with other methods

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Methodological Issues

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Methodological Issues: Representative? ‘Digital divide’? –“…..access to the Internet is a matter not only of economics, but also of one’s place in the world in terms of gender, culture, ethnicity and language…..” (Mann and Stewart 2000: 31). Who are we capturing? Alternative perspectives?

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Methodological Issues: Data Analysis New form of text –“… its inherent intertextuality, its lack of center [sic], its volume, its multimedianess, its international scope, its impermanence, and the resulting sense of authorship” (Mitra and Cohen, 1999: 199). Blogs contain: –Text; pictures; video; comments; hyperlinks; audio; adverts Balancing potential of method with pragmatism

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Methodological Issues: Authenticity Verifying identity: –“Anonymity in text-based environments gives one more choices and control in the presentation of self, whether or not the presentation is perceived as intended” (Markham 2005: 809). Web 2.0 and everyday life Research aims and objectives –Gap year blogs and presentation of experience Blogs alongside interview data

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Ethical Issues

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Ethical Issues: Subject or author? Person in space or text with author Subject defined as: –“… a living individual about whom an investigator… conducting research obtains data through intervention or interaction with the individual, or identifiable private information” (Frankel and Siang 1999: 16). Traceable data and anonymity Respecting rights as author

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Ethical Issues: Informed Consent Informed consent not required for ‘published’ material Technological privacy User perceptions of privacy Gap Year Research –Awareness of unseen audience –Compromise anonymity

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Ethical Decision-Making Tension between acknowledging authorship and protecting identity Data in public domain –Informed consent not required –‘Personal but not private’ Data anonymised Bruckman (2002): ‘moderate disguise’

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Conclusion Contextualised ethics What could I have done better? –Data collection –Dealing multimedia –Interactive potential Your views / comments?

Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester Selected Bibliography BEER, D. and Burrows, R. (2007) “Sociology and, of and in Web 2.0: Some Initial Considerations”, Sociological Research Online, 12(5). Available from: BRUCKMAN, A. (2002) “Studying the Amateur Artist: A perspective on disguising data collected in human subjects research on the Internet", Ethics and Information Technology 4: BRUCKMAN, A. (2004) “Opportunities and Challenges in Methodology and Ethics” in Johns, M.D, Chen, S-L. S, Hall, G.J. (eds) Online Social Research: Methods, Issues and Ethics New York: Peter Lang. ESS, C. and the AoIR ethics working committee (2002) Ethical decision-making and Internet Research: Recommendations from the AoIR Ethics Working Committee. Available from: FRANKEL, M. and Siang, S. (1999) “Ethical and Legal Aspects of Human Subjects Research on the Internet", American Association for the Advancement of Science Workshop Report. Available from: HOOKWAY, N. (2008) “’Entering the blogosphere:’ some strategies for using blogs in social research” Qualitative Research 8(1) HUFFAKER, D. (2006). “Teen Blogs Exposed: The Private Lives of Teens Made Public”, Presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in St. Louis, MO., February MANN, C. and Stewart, F (2000) Internet Communication and Qualitative Research London: SAGE. MARKHAM, A.N. (2005) “The Methods, Politics and Ethics of Representation In Online Ethnography”, in Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S. (eds) The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research Thousand Oaks: SAGE. MITRA, A., & Cohen, E. (1999). Analyzing the web: Directions and challenges. In S. Jones, (Ed.), Doing internet research, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. VIEGAS, F.B. (2005) “Bloggers’ expectations of privacy and accountability: An initial survey”, Journal of Computer- Mediated Communication, 10(3): article 12. WHITEMAN, N. (2007). The Establishment, Maintenance, and Destabilisation of Fandom: A Study of Two Online Communities and and Exploration of Issues Pertaining to Internet Research. Unpublished PhD Thesis. Institute of Education