[Air-L] Help with digital ethnography & early Internet history
Nadia Tjahja
nadia.tjahja at gmail.com
Sat Feb 8 01:11:56 PST 2020
Hi Lexi,
I don't do digital ethnography, but I'm glad that you're looking out for
your safety! I'm very much of the idea of implementing a very strict safety
approach until you have seen what kinds of reactions come back and then you
can be more relaxed about how you want to continue, rather safe than sorry.
For a violent extremism and online radicalisation project, I had one
colleague going "undercover" and I was the public face of the project which
came out with my personal data, and now I'm researching mental health
services online and these are some of the precautions we took:
- *Make an introductory appointment with a (university) psychologist and
afterwards regularly check in with them or a colleague*
Explain your project and any fears of harassment you may encounter. I
used to check in with my colleague once every week to ask her how she felt
about the content she was engaging with and how it made her feel, and also
if there were any issues or concerns she had about them. If she felt unsafe
or if she wished that there were certain things she wouldn't encounter. She
appreciated me reaching out to her and sharing her concerns rather than
sharing the content. If nothing is wrong, it's great practice on presenting
your work, but if certain messages or comments make you feel uncomfortable
in any way, then you can address your feelings about them and check in with
colleagues how to move further with these concerns.
- *Tell friends and family about your research and the concerns that you
have*
There's going to be a lot of explaining about what you do, but letting
them know makes sure that you've also built your support group in case
things get more difficult. You want your people to understand what you're
doing from the get go rather than them being the people that question what
you do, which can be alienating. If they don't understand your work, widen
your circle. We found support in places from people we didn't naturally
expect. My parents for example, don't understand the Internet. Make sure
they understand the boundaries (that they don't interfere with your study)
but that you want them to walk the road with you and have your back.
- Mentioned before, *secure your data*!
In addition to Dr Palma's comments, check any loose accounts that you
have floating around. If you had a public MySpace or if you ever had an
online journal, blog ot neopets account, these can provide information
about yourself that you didn't know could harm you. Check your social media
accounts in particular what public information is available (people always
forget that LinkedIn can publish your email and number, so make sure that
this is hidden). There are also third party accounts that will collect your
pictures and data such as Rocket Reach, Apollo, you can ask them to remove
your information. Even mailing lists such as these can be public. If you
are really concerned, ask also your friends and family to set their
profiles on private and check that information about you isn't publicly
available. There are services you can pay that will close down accounts
that you have open.
- Mentioned before,
*separate personal from private *Dr Palma also mentions to set up a
separate Twitter handle, email account etc. and Dr Ferrier asked some very
good questions to reflect on. My additional comment would be to ensure that
there is one other tech savvy person who has access to all your accounts
and can check that you are not dealing with something that nobody saw
coming. I also use a university computer for my research rather than my
personal computer.
- *Set time limitations*
If you do end up with feedback or data which is hurtful, limit your time
accessing these accounts. Seems obvious, but it's easy to get consumed.
Good luck and be safe!
*Nadia Tjahja*
Sunium
CEO & Co-Founder
www.sunium.eu
On Sat, 8 Feb 2020 at 08:17, Crystal Abidin <crystalabidin at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Lexi and the AoIR crew,
> Here are some reflections from a group of digital ethnographers that might
> be useful: https://anthrodendum.org/tag/private-messages-from-the-field/
> Our
> special issue, based on these provocations, on dilemmas from practising
> digital ethnography will be out in a few weeks.
> /C
> –––––––––––––––
> Dr Crystal Abidin, PhD
> wishcrys.com
> Senior Research Fellow & ARC DECRA Fellow, Internet Studies, Curtin
> University
> Affiliate Researcher, MMTC, Jönköping University
> Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia / Pacific Standard Magazine 30 Top Thinkers Under
> 30
>
> Books:
> Instagram: Visual Social Media Cultures (2020)
> <https://wishcrys.com/instagram-polity/>
> Microcelebrity Around the Globe: Approaches to Cultures of Internet Fame
> (2018) <https://wishcrys.com/microcelebrity-around-the-globe-emerald/>
> Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online (2018)
> <https://wishcrys.com/internet-celebrity-emerald/>
>
> Recent publications:
> "Si Geena" (Brat): Un-Social Digital Juveniles' Episodic Resistance in
> Singapore (2019)
> <
> https://brill.com/view/journals/dias/aop/article-10.1163-22142312-12340118/article-10.1163-22142312-12340118.xml?rskey=3AvAEw&result=5
> >
> Minahs and Minority Celebrity: Parody YouTube Influencers and Minority
> Politics in Singapore (2019)
> <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19392397.2019.1698816>
> Navigating Interdisciplinarity as a Precarious Early Career Researcher
> (2019)
> <
> https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/csrj/article/view/6880?fbclid=IwAR3qSTzf7HbuZG_dFgn5JaPFnZNL7hiBqOVEMuRU_xmTcYn2Ce1Pz9EeHyo
> >
> Tacit Labours of Digital Social Research as an Early Career Researcher
> (2019) <https://jdsr.se/ojs/index.php/jdsr/article/view/10>
>
>
> <
> http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1274581&dswid=1725
> >
>
>
> On Sat, 8 Feb 2020 at 14:25, Catherine Summerhayes <
> catherine.summerhayes at anu.edu.au> wrote:
>
> > Hi Lexi
> > a student of mine did a phd thesis using youtube, setting up a youtube
> > channel himself. It should be in the ANU Library, his name is Jie Gu,
> > best
> > Catherine
> >
> > Dr Catherine Summerhayes
> > Film and New Media Studies
> > School of Literature Languages and Linguistics
> > College of Arts and Social Sciences
> > Australian National University
> > Ph. +61 2 612 52704
> > https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/summerhayes-cf
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Air-L <air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Ferrier,
> > Michelle P. <michelle.ferrier at famu.edu>
> > Sent: Saturday, February 8, 2020 6:26 AM
> > To: Sonja Solomun <sonja.solomun at mail.mcgill.ca>;
> > Alexis.DeConing at colorado.edu <Alexis.DeConing at colorado.edu>
> > Cc: air-l at listserv.aoir.org <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
> > Subject: Re: [Air-L] Help with digital ethnography & early Internet
> history
> >
> > Hi Alexis,
> >
> > I'm a researcher on digital ethnography and I also am the founder of
> > TrollBusters, online protection for journalists. I think you are right to
> > have concerns about your own identity as well as the effects of data
> > compromise of the cloud platforms that might put your respondents at
> risk.
> >
> > Have you thought about data storage and end-to-end encryption of the data
> > to shore up vulnerabilities? Have you created redundant data collection
> > receptacles to minimize tampering? Have you baked in GDPR restrictions
> and
> > limited access to those who you may not be able to serve under GDPR
> > guidelines?
> >
> > Just some questions to ask as you move forward.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > Michelle Ferrier
> >
> > “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need
> > inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” ― J.K.
> > Rowling Michelle P Ferrier, Ph.D.
> > Dean and Professor, School of Journalism & Graphic Communication
> > Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University
> > T: 850-599-3379
> > Michelle.ferrier at famu.edu
> > Twitter: @mediaghosts
> > Founder, Troll-Busters.com <http://www.troll-busters.com/>
> > Principal Investigator, The Media Deserts Project (<http://>
> > www.mediadeserts.com <http://www.mediadeserts.com>)
> > Project Director: The Media Seeds Project (ZipIt.News <
> > http://www.zipit.news/>)
> > 2018 Innovative Journalism Educator (MediaShift <
> >
> http://mediashift.org/2018/01/edshift20-honoring-innovative-journalism-educators-2017/
> > >)
> >
> >
> > On 2/7/20, 11:01 AM, "Air-L on behalf of Sonja Solomun" <
> > air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org on behalf of
> sonja.solomun at mail.mcgill.ca>
> > wrote:
> >
> > This email originated outside of Florida A&M University. If you think
> > this is a phishing (scam) email, please forward to phishbowl at famu.edu or
> > call 412-HELP.
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
> >
> > Hi Alexis,
> >
> > Fascinating project — re: #1 anything and everything by Mar Hicks <
> >
> https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmarhicks.com%2Fwriting.html&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cfc0766188a6d4aa6678808d7abe6fbbe%7C2526db3cd5034dfea0e60c41a20b52d2%7C0%7C1%7C637166880876061689&sdata=k0ukWwnng2XCGN1g%2FygN377EUa5vbdq88cNvuIxAgdk%3D&reserved=0
> > >
> >
> > Good luck!
> >
> >
> >
> > Sonja Solomun
> > PhD Communication Studies
> > McGill University
> > Research Fellow
> > Max Bell School of Public Policy
> > McGill University
> > sonja.solomun at mcgill.ca<mailto:sonja.solomun at mcgill.ca>
> > 514-291-2711
> > @sonja_solomun
> >
> > On Feb 7, 2020, at 10:40 AM, Alexis De Coning <
> > Alexis.DeConing at colorado.edu<mailto:Alexis.DeConing at colorado.edu>>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi AIR folks,
> >
> > Long-time follower, first-time emailer! I'm a PhD candidate in Media
> > Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. I study the men's
> rights
> > movement, using interviews, ethnography, archival research, and
> textual
> > analysis. I'm currently looking at both pre-digital and digital
> > materials,
> > and trying to unpack how the movement "came online" around the 1990s.
> > I'm
> > reaching out to elicit some advice, recommendations, and help with a
> > few
> > challenges I'm encountering:
> >
> > 1. Can anyone recommend good sources on early Internet history,
> > particularly with regards to gender? I'm especially interested in how
> > and
> > when "regular" people started to adopt Internet technologies. I've
> > found
> > some interesting evidence in print materials from the early 1990s
> that
> > show
> > men's rights activists transitioning to online spaces, but I'd like
> to
> > historicize and contextualize what I'm seeing.
> >
> > 2. I'd like to start doing some "digital ethnography" via Twitter. My
> > university's IRB liaison suggested I build a simple webpage where I
> can
> > explain my research, have my consent form, etc. and link to it in my
> > Twitter profile/tweets to meet IRB's standards for consent with human
> > subjects. However, given the population I study, I'm concerned about
> > personal safety, doxxing, harassment, etc. I don't want to be
> > paranoid, but
> > I also don't want to be naive about putting my personal information
> > into
> > the digital sphere via an easily-hackable webpage. Any advice or
> > recommendations on digital security or how to go about digital
> > ethnography
> > with "difficult" populations be most appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks and best regards,
> > Lexi de Coning
> > _______________________________________________
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