[Air-L] avatar research ethics

[Rhiannon Bury]

Very interesting discussion! I see no difference in studying an AV in SL or a participant in a discussion forum.  To me the issue in getting approval should be  not whether it's a visual or textual identity but the site and purpose of the study. Yes, I know we've had long debates on what counts as "public" in cyberspace and people's perceptions that they are having "private" conversations. That's why LJ is good because it is set up so members can select
comments to put "behind the cut" only accessible to those on their
friend list. That said, anything said on a forum that does not require special permission or passwords to access is generally fair game in my books. I'd probably make an exception for more personal types of support groups where sensitive information, say about sexual abuse, is shared. As for the purpose and methodology, I agree completely with Jeremy. If one has any direct contact or interaction with participants, then such research involves human subjects and must be cleared. 

Rhiannon 

Rhiannon Bury, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Women's Studies
Athabasca University, Canada
rbury at athabascau.ca