[Air-L] avatar research ethics

[Marj Kibby]

The argument given to me was that individuals have an online experience (they stopped short of saying they have a life) and my research could negatively impact upon that experience.

For example if my analysis of a discussion forum said that the user calling themselves "bigpig" used very poor grammar and then quoted them directly, this might lead "bigpig" to post less, or less spontaneously even if there was never any link between the username and the individual. 

The specific research was a student project into Japanese schoolgirl prostitutes' use of an online forum for information and support - so it already had a red flag. We all agreed that it was important not to do anything that might affect the way they used the forum, which went beyond protecting their anonymity.

One effect of web-based publishing is that our research subjects have increased access to what we have said about them.

So yes, I think there may be avatar-specific harms that we should think through.

Marj






Dr Marjorie Kibby, 
Senior Lecturer in Communication & Culture
Faculty of Education and Arts
The University of Newcastle,  Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia
Marj.Kibby at newcastle.edu.au
+61 2 49216604
>>> Steve Jones <sjones at uic.edu> 03/08/08 11:04 AM >>>
If I may ask: Why? Is it because the avatars somehow "represent"  
humans (or vice versa)? Can we be sure that the "harms" we may  
identify in the case of human subjects are ones that could also harm  
avatars? Might there be avatar-specific "harms" to which we should  
attend? What was behind the Review Board's decision? And how does it  
define "online identity?"

Sj

On Mar 7, 2008, at 3:22 PM, Marj Kibby wrote:

> Dr Marjorie Kibby,
> Senior Lecturer in Communication & Culture
> Faculty of Education and Arts
> The University of Newcastle,  Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia
> Marj.Kibby at newcastle.edu.au
> +61 2 49216604
>>>> Jeremy Hunsinger <jhuns at vt.edu> 03/08/08 4:26 AM >>>
> The question was.... "When I take pictures of any random person using
> a building in sl, am I doing human subjects research?'
>
>
> Our Review Board guidelines say that online identities must be  
> afforded the same protection from harm as real world identities.  
> They would see avatars as human subjects.
>
>
> Marj
>
>
>
>
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