Research In/About Cyberspace

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Research In/About Cyberspace

• J. Santoy
• May 2008

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user
technology
user
technology
research
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user
technology
reseacher
Research about
Research in
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• How to conduct research
• in and about
• these spaces of interaction?

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• How is concept of space theorized?

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Physical Objective Container for external
materiality
Mental Subjective Internal
(Sajo, 19891993)
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Physical Objective external
Mental Subjective internal
Social
(Lefebvre, 1991)
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Physical
Mental
Perceived
Conceived
Social Space
Social Relations
Lived
(Lefebvre, 1991)
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Perceived
Conceived
Realm of physical experience produced and
reproduced through spatial practices, activated
by movement
Lived
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Conceived
Realm of mental experience constructed as
(dominant) representations of space, Seek to order
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Realm of social experience in (dominated) spaces
of representation
Lived
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• Apply theories of produced social spaces to gain
  an understanding of the spatiality of cyberspace

(Saco, 2003)
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Perceived
Conceived
Social Space
Lived
Theory of social space can inform research in
and/or about cyberspace
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• Text
• Constitutes a place
• created by a system of signs
• Becomes a space
• when readers interact with the text
• to activate the meaning of the signs

(web page, blog, etc.)
(de Certeau)
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• Human interaction activates
• physical or perceived realm of sociospatial
  experience

Perceived
User
Writer
System
Reader
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• What are the implications for researchers?
• Cyberspace is a different ground of inquiry

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• Researcher own interactions constitute space
• Leads to methodological and ethical questions

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• Researchers perception of interaction?
• Which methods provide more objective analysis?

Perceived
Author Reader Researcher
Text Affordances
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Methods interactions with the text

• Rhetorical analysis
• Web text as spokesperson
• Which elements chosen for analysis?
• Was there bias and subjectivity?
• My interpretations as valid as those of producers
  of the text (Rouzie)

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• Participant can confirm or contradict researcher
  interpretation (McKee)
• Triangulation needed?
• Include participants
• Interactions move into real spaces
• How will interaction influence participant
  behavior?

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Conceived
Mental constructs Representation Order
Producer Ownership
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• Who
• benefits from
• Or
• owns
• the presentation?

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• Interactions help users create representations
  which attempt to order human movement
• 
  Who
• 
  benefits?

Conceived
Mental constructs Representation Order
Producer Ownership
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researcher
Participant(s)
Power dynamics Repressive/productive
(Foucault)
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Participant(s)
Researcher
Power dynamics Repressive
(Foucault)
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researcher
Participant(s)
Power dynamics productive
(Foucault)
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• Interactions representations
• order human movement
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  Private?
• 
  Public?

Perceived/Conceived
Mental constructs Representation Order
Producer Ownership
Protection?
Confidentiality?
Future Effect?
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• Methods Choices affect representation
• Whose knowledge is privileged?
• Lack of triangulation with participants
• Privileges researcher voice/perspective
• Control of the representation

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• How do methodological choices affect participants
  lived space?
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  Private?
• 
  Public?
• 
  Protection?
• 
  Confidentiality?
• 
  Future Effect?

Lived
Experienced passively Hegemonic spatial
representations
Site of resistance
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• Online research spaces are not neutral,
• But practiced spaces

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• Go beyond what IRB requires
• Savvy bloggers use anti-indexing code

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• Capacity of creating new spatial orders
• via resistance,
• disrupting and overturning meaning
• created by traditional research practices.

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Questions?janie.santoy_at_ttu.edu