1. Research In/About Cyberspace J. Santoy May 2008

2. usertechnologyuser technology research

3. user technology Research about Research in reseacher

4. How to conduct research in and about these spaces of interaction?

5. How is concept of space theorized?

6. Physical Objective Container for external materiality Mental Subjective Internal (Sajo, 1989;1993)

7. Mental Subjective internal Physical Objective external Social (Lefebvre, 1991)

8. Social Relations PhysicalMental Social Space PerceivedConceived Lived (Lefebvre, 1991)

9. Realm of physical experience produced and reproduced through spatial practices, activated by movement PerceivedConceived Lived

10. Conceived Realm of mental experience constructed as (dominant) representations of space, Seek to order

11. Realm of social experience in (dominated) spaces of representation Lived

12. Apply theories of produced social spaces to gain an understanding of the spatiality of cyberspace (Saco, 2003)

13. Social Space PerceivedConceived Lived Theory of social space can inform research in and/or about cyberspace

14. Text Constitutes a place created by a system of signs Becomes a space when readers interact with the text to activate the meaning of the signs (de Certeau) (web page, blog, etc.)

15. Human interaction activates physical or perceived realm of sociospatial experience Perceived User Reader Writer System

16. What are the implications for researchers? Cyberspace is a different ground of inquiry

20. Researcher own interactions constitute space Leads to methodological and ethical questions

21. Researcher’s perception of interaction? Which methods provide “more objective” analysis? Perceived Author Reader Researcher Text Affordances

22. Methods = interactions with the text Rhetorical analysis Web text as “spokesperson” Which elements chosen for analysis? Was there bias and subjectivity? My interpretations as valid as those of producers of the text (Rouzie)

23. Participant can confirm or contradict researcher interpretation (McKee) Triangulation needed? Include participants Interactions move into “real” spaces How will interaction influence participant behavior?

24. Conceived Mental constructs Representation Order Producer Ownership

25. Who benefits from Or “owns” the presentation?

26. Interactions help users create representations which attempt to order human movement Who benefits? Conceived Mental constructs Representation Order Producer Ownership

27. researcher Participant(s) Power dynamics Repressive/productive (Foucault)

28. Researcher Participant(s) Power dynamics Repressive (Foucault)

29. Power dynamics productive (Foucault) researcher Participant(s)

30. Interactions & representations order human movement Private? Public? Perceived/Conceived Mental constructs Representation Order Producer Ownership Protection? Confidentiality? Future Effect?

31. Methods = Choices affect representation Whose knowledge is privileged? Lack of triangulation with participants Privileges researcher voice/perspective Control of the representation

32. How do methodological choices affect participants “lived” space? Private? Public? Protection? Confidentiality? Future Effect? Lived Experienced passively Hegemonic spatial representations Site of resistance

34. Online research spaces are not neutral, But practiced spaces …

35. Go beyond what IRB requires Savvy bloggers use anti-indexing code

36. Capacity of creating new spatial orders via resistance, disrupting and overturning meaning created by traditional research practices.

37. Online SpaceMethodological Considerations Perceived Interaction between User & System User & text User & user How does researcher interaction shape the space? How does researcher perception differ from user perception?

38. Online SpaceMethodological Considerations Conceived Mental constructs Representations created by interactions Seek to order movement Who constructs the representation? Whose knowledge is privileged? Who produces, owns, benefits from the representation?

39. Online SpaceMethodological Considerations Lived Experienced passively (dominated/hegemonic) spaces of representation Possible site of resistance How do the interactions & representations affect off-line life? What are researcher goals? What are participants’ goals and action for representation?

40. Questions? janie.santoy@ttu.edu