PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

@dr_serena

Why observe online communities?

What have you observed?

Introduction
Written Record

Data Analysis Approach

Data Collection Technique

The purpose of fieldwork is to gather qualitative data about the social world by interacting with people and observing them in their naturalsetting Discover the meanings that people attach to their actions an attempt to gain an understanding of their beliefs and activities from the inside

Research Method

Philosophical Assumptions

Participant Observation and Fieldwork

Basics
Ethnography an umbrella term for a family of qualitative research methods Observation is when you are watching other people from the outside as an observer Participant observation is when you not only observe people doing things, but you participate to some extent in these activities as well
Watching, participating, asking questions

Ethnographic Procedures Wolcott (1987) stated that ethnography consists of:

Looking for what people do (behaviors)

Listening for what they say (language) What they make and use (artifacts)

Points Participant observer must be two dimensional, i.e., maintain objectivity despite becoming an insider
Avoid over-socialization, i.e., going native(police undercover operations) Avoid over-identification with the study group and aversion to it, i.e., remain objective despite personal subjective bias

Ethnography and fieldwork

1. Developing a research problem (what will you study and why?) 2. Choosing a setting (where?) 3. Participants (who?) 4. Access (how?) 5. Fieldwork: observation, field notes interviews, and focus groups (what?)

Dimensions of social situations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Space: the physical place or places Actor: the people involved Activity: a set of related acts that people do Object: the physical things that are present Act: single actions that people do Event: a set of related activities that people carry out 7. Time: the sequencing that takes place over time 8. Goal: the things people are trying to accomplish 9. Feeling: the emotions felt and expressed

Data Collection
Types of Data collection 1. Primary observations: recording when it is happening or is said 2. Secondary observations: statement, interpretations of observers about what has happened. 3. Experiential data: perceptions and feelings as researcher experiences the process his is researching. 4. Data on factors material to the research setting: e.g., positions, hierarchy,. structures, etc.

Ethnographic fieldnotes
Recording methods: Field notes/diaries, recordings, and photographs Use with caution, rapport is more important that recording results, i.e., avoid questions and note taking this makes people nervous and creates a disturbance within the group setting.

Types of fieldnotes
Jottings: brief phrases used Description: everything you recall about the occasion (time, place, people, surroundings, animals, smells, sounds etc.) Analysis: what have you learned so far? Reflection: what was it like for you?

When does the ethnographer stop?

Thoughts
Focused on topic discussion What do you want to understand? Studying human behavior and interaction Communication acts Asynchronous communication Overcome F2F limitations Hierarchy Informational, emotional support, character attacks, uncivil, Imagined community Is it a community? What are the attributes of the community? Identity Routines Develop reputation, info valued, and become excluded Quantitative data (popular post times, users, average posts per thread)

Blog post
Roles of social media for (fill in blank) interview one person
Function of social media Philosophy of social media Benefits/drawbacks of social media Audience

Social media component

Audioboo, soundcloud, skype, Google hangout (YouTube) Embed in blog

Readings
Storytelling (Katie) Interpersonal relationships (2) Amanda Sangwon Digital divide Emily Activism (2) Kristen Duygu Privacy Christina What is the goal of the article? Does the article adequately represent reality? How valid are the arguments? How sound are the arguments? Do the conclusions follow logically from the arguments? What does this teach us about predicting and explaining human behavior or mental processes?