I am using Scollon and Scollon’s nexus analysis to examine the discourse of academic blogging. I use a 6 blogs in a close analysis. None of the information I use as examples is sensitive, but they all have a mixture of personal and work on their blogs. Also, I use specific language as examples, which could be googled. What do you think about the ethics of using names versus pseudonyms?
I have an ethical dilemma in my research. I am looking at responses across platforms towards ‘secret sharers’ who share about domestic abuse on the Post Secret website. These postcards are anonymous, and are even published by only one person (although they are also often taken and put on facebook, other blogs and even flickr), so IP information and other identifying characteristics such as user names are hidden. The postcards are user-created, and often an analogue hodge-podge of images put together to create their desired message/secret. These secrets are often responded to in tweets, facebook comments, and on Post Secret’s own forum. What I am trying to work out is how to use (or not use) these images in my research – not least in future presentations of results. Permission to use the images is another matter, but what I am concerned with today is the potential harm that could come from using these pictures. You never know with these secrets if they are pictures of the abused, or stock photos, or download online, etc. There is, of course, a chance that these cards to depict the victim, and by using them in a presentation – even for the analysis of responses, not of the picture or secret itself – you may open the victim up to further abuse by ‘outing’ their secret. And yes, they are published online in a very popular weblog – but there is also a perception of anonymity, and by sending the card, the sender is agreeing to have them displayed on that site. So what is the ethically responsible thing to do? Describe the card, and do not use an image or screen capture (again, the permission to use the image is a different matter and must, of course, be received as well), or use the card as it is a published work? Difficult. I am leaning towards description, preferring to err on the side of caution – but would like to have a discussion about the ethics of this type of research.
I need to have a look at this book. I have been trying to decide what to do about my youtube informants id’s. They are between the ages of 15 and 25, all have published videos on youtube. I do use some screenshots, but as the sample is random, you would not be able to easily guess all of them from the screenshots. Also, I am not saying anything that seems sensitive – but sometimes what may seem not sensitive to me can be sensitive to someone else. So the point of my long rambling thought- How much id should I use in this article? Obviously I can not ‘hide’ the people in the screenshots, but I can use shots where their back is turned and take away the name of the file/film. It would make it hard (although not impossible) to id.
Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media
This site is one researcher's wanderings through participatory media. Focusing on youth created media, I will use this blog to document my study of YouTube and related video hosting sites.
