[Air-l] ethics of recording publicly observed interactions

Janet Armentor bluekind91 at yahoo.com
Tue May 11 08:53:54 PDT 2004


--- Beverly Trayner <btrayner at esce.ips.pt> wrote:
> Observing and recording people's interactions for
> research purposes without
> their permission conjures up images for me of a
> prison guard in a
> panoptican; a guard regardless of whether "the
> prisoner" is talking loudly
> or softly on their mobile phone, or writing in
> public discussion forums.  

OK, but what about online spaces that could be
considered forms of panopticon, such as the chat room,
where anyone in the chat room (well, at least those
who remain visible) can be observed by a variety of
people at any given time? I realize there is a
difference since researchers use data for academic
purposes, but what about others in the space that also
may observe and record what a person is saying? I
think that the technology of online spaces needs to be
taken into account. If a person enters this space, is
it merely the researcher who acts as a form of the
panopticon or the technology and the many others (in
the chat room, for example) who are actively observing
and, perhaps, recording in the space?

Janet A.  



=====
Janet Armentor, Doctoral Student
Sociology Department, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
Syracuse University
email: jlarment at maxwell.syr.edu


	
		
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