[Air-l] mutual monitoring project

[Mark Andrejevic]

Hi folks,
For my  new media class I've pulled together a research project that 
I thought I'd try running through the AoIR list as a collaborative 
endeavor. Here's what I was thinking of trying out - inviting folks 
on the list both to circulate the survey and to be able to access the 
data for use in their own classes. The survey covers mutual 
monitoring practices: using web sites, search engines, cell phones 
and IM as means of keeping track of and gathering background info 
about one another (peers, family members, significant others, etc.). 
I tried the survey out with some undergrads and thought the results 
looked interesting: students were using a variety of strategies to 
get information about one another. A colleague (and list member) in 
the UK invited some of her students to take the survey and the 
results were notably different: there was less of a tendency to 
engage in monitoring practices and, apparently (based on further 
discussion), a stronger sense that such practices were invasive than 
among the US students. I was struck by these differences and thought 
it might be interesting to try to circulate the survey nationally and 
internationally to see what kinds of patterns emerged. Since I'm 
teaching a class on new media this semester, I thought it might make 
an interesting research project for the class -- and it struck me 
that others on the list might be interested in seeing the data. So 
what I thought I'd do is to circulate both the survey URL and a URL 
for a site where I will post a summary report and access to the raw 
data (purged of any identifying information). My hope is that folks 
might be interested in circulating the survey among their students. A 
class that participates in the project can also see the results -- 
and these might be of some use for class discussion and research. So 
if it sounds like this might be of interest, here's the information: 
(this survey has been cleared for distribution by the University of 
Iowa's Human Subjects Office)
Survey URL:  https://websurveyor.net/wsb.dll/21156/monitoring.htm
Anonymous results: http://www.uiowa.edu/~c036173a
thanks for your time -- and please let me know if this turns out to 
be of use for class. Suggestions, feedback, insight are all welcome.
Best,
Mark
-- 
Mark Andrejevic
Assistant Professor
Department of Communication Studies
105 BCSB
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA  52242
Phone: (319) 335-0550
Fax: (319) 335-2930

Faculty Web page: http://www.uiowa.edu/~commstud/faculty/Andrejevic/