What are the biggest problems associated with studying online environments?
I thought, prior to this course, that I understood the basic problems dealing with researching online environments. I now realize that I had no idea the vast range of challenges and I've already completed one class paper 2 years ago.
I read with great interest Filipp Sapienza's chapter - Ethos and Research Positionality in Studies of Virtual Communities. This chapter was of particular interest to me because my online research concerned how ethos is established in social networking communities. Sapienza's detailed account, particularly is breakdown of the various levels of ethos, were intriguing.
The biggest problems seem to concern privacy, authenticity, and permission by those who are studied. Ethical guidelines still place judgement in the hands of the researcher. However, the researcher needs to fully consider the audience. This is where Sapienza's writing was helpful. While it might not violate any ethical standards to the researcher if he/she were being the one researched, that is not the only perspective.
I'm not learning--a phrase I use often is: "still a work in process." Not intended to be an excuse, this does summarize my positioning on this subject.
Debra B.
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I agree, Derba. I think it's important for us to think very carefully about how the various folks we research might possibly be affected--or even how they'd feel--about being researched.
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