#SMSociety'17, July 28-30, 2017, Toronto, ON, Canada, 2017
How do young people make sense of their social media experiences, which rhetoric do they use, whi... more How do young people make sense of their social media experiences, which rhetoric do they use, which grand narratives of technology and social media do they rely on? Based on discourse analysis of approximately 500 pages of written data and 390 minutes of video (generated by 50 college students aged 18-30 between 2014-2016) this article explores how young people negotiate their own experience and existing discourses about social media. Our analysis shows that young people rely heavily on canonic binaries from utopian and dystopian interpretations of networked technologies to apply labels to themselves, others, and social media in general. As they are prompted to reflect on their experience, their rhetoric about social media use and its implications becomes more nuanced yet remains inherently contradictory. This reflects a dialectical struggle to make sense of their lived experiences and feelings. Our unique methodology for generating deeply self-reflexive, auto-ethnographic narrative accounts suggests a way for scholars to be able to understand the ongoing struggles for meaning that occur within the granularity of everyday reflections about our own social media use. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → Empirical studies in HCI • Human-centered computing → Social media • Human-centered computing → Empirical studies in collaborative and social computing • Applied computing → Sociology 1 Social media can be defined as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange
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Memories’ at Aarhus University a group of
individuals blurring the boundaries between art,
academics, and activism got together and
participated in Counterplay 2016 at DOK1. Without
any prior knowledge of the group-composition or
possible aims for the experimental workshop we
lunged into a process of devising both an interactive
exhibition and an installation which explored the ‘big
data’ citizens regularly produce in their everyday lives and how this data might be archived, packaged, and recycled - or even forgotten, primarily within social media. We wanted to explore what our daily routines connected to social media and sorting our data meant for the way we shape our memories, and therefore the traces of future memories.
In this chapter we follow the trajectory of the exhibition entitled ‘MoRM’ (Museum of Random Memories).
http://futuremaking.space/creating-future-memories/museum-of-random-memory-and-future-memories/
http://futuremaking.space/all-the-feels/clip-move-adjust-video-editing-reflexive-rhythmanalysis-networked-publics/
In doing ethnographic research we all use tools with different qualities to capture and create our empirical material. Video recordings are increasingly used in ethnographic research. In spite of this, little is written about what these recordings allow us to discover in the analytical process, or about the impact that working with visual material tends to have on our analysis and theoretical framework. In this blogpost, I reflect on the epistemological and analytical trajectories that can be initiated when working with a video camera as an ethnographic tool.
What struck me most is the kind of book this is. It is something in between psychology, sociology and anthropology. Maybe this is stereotyping, but it reminds me a little of Danish Design furniture, rather stylish, elegant and functional; quite sparse with clear lines and directions. The book makes especially good points about the importance of the nuclear family, while appreciating that siblingship is fundamentally cultural and would be performed differently in places where people live in more extended fami- lies. This work is in the tradition of Simmel, because mostly it is about the essential contradictions of social life, for example, how we seek both inti- macy and autonomy. It provides us with the recognition that this is not a fault but rather something inevitable to most cultural practices”.
Daniel Miller. Professor of Material Culture, Department of An- thropology, University College London
Memories’ at Aarhus University a group of
individuals blurring the boundaries between art,
academics, and activism got together and
participated in Counterplay 2016 at DOK1. Without
any prior knowledge of the group-composition or
possible aims for the experimental workshop we
lunged into a process of devising both an interactive
exhibition and an installation which explored the ‘big
data’ citizens regularly produce in their everyday lives and how this data might be archived, packaged, and recycled - or even forgotten, primarily within social media. We wanted to explore what our daily routines connected to social media and sorting our data meant for the way we shape our memories, and therefore the traces of future memories.
In this chapter we follow the trajectory of the exhibition entitled ‘MoRM’ (Museum of Random Memories).
http://futuremaking.space/creating-future-memories/museum-of-random-memory-and-future-memories/
http://futuremaking.space/all-the-feels/clip-move-adjust-video-editing-reflexive-rhythmanalysis-networked-publics/
In doing ethnographic research we all use tools with different qualities to capture and create our empirical material. Video recordings are increasingly used in ethnographic research. In spite of this, little is written about what these recordings allow us to discover in the analytical process, or about the impact that working with visual material tends to have on our analysis and theoretical framework. In this blogpost, I reflect on the epistemological and analytical trajectories that can be initiated when working with a video camera as an ethnographic tool.
What struck me most is the kind of book this is. It is something in between psychology, sociology and anthropology. Maybe this is stereotyping, but it reminds me a little of Danish Design furniture, rather stylish, elegant and functional; quite sparse with clear lines and directions. The book makes especially good points about the importance of the nuclear family, while appreciating that siblingship is fundamentally cultural and would be performed differently in places where people live in more extended fami- lies. This work is in the tradition of Simmel, because mostly it is about the essential contradictions of social life, for example, how we seek both inti- macy and autonomy. It provides us with the recognition that this is not a fault but rather something inevitable to most cultural practices”.
Daniel Miller. Professor of Material Culture, Department of An- thropology, University College London
The film is part of an anthropological research project about sibling relations in Denmark. The collective research material includes interviews, observations, and filmed fieldwork with 94 children and young people from across Denmark.
The film features 30 of these children and young people from 10 constellations of siblings. Covering siblings who live together with all of their siblings and siblings who live in multiple homes or on boarding schools.
Through children’s own voices, the focus is on the experience of being siblings, and how everyday sibling relationships can be demanding, challenging and difficult; yet also create closeness and emotional support.
Camera and editing: Ida Wentzel Winther and Mads Middelboe Rehder
Filmen sætter fokus på børnenes hverdagsliv på den lille ø Christiansø, som ligger i klippekanten af Danmark - 1 times sejlads øst for Bornholm. Her er 100 faste beboere, hvoraf 25 er børn i alderen ½-13 år. Her er ingen biler, hunde eller katte; men frøer og tusindvis af skrigende måger, trækfugle og evig vind. Fra maj til september besøges øen af ca. 70.000 turister, der er der et par timer, inden de sejles tilbage. Det er sted hvor man er henvist til de andre, hvor nærvær og sårbarhed er en del af hverdagen. Filmen er blevet til gennem et filmet feltarbejde fra januar til september 2011.
"Children's everyday life at Christiansø" By Ida Wentzel Winther
Christiansø lies among a small cluster of rocky islands in the easternmost reach of the Danish Baltic. The island itself is an old bastion, surrounded still by thick stone walls. Due to its small size, it is a car-free society. There are no cats or dogs here, just hundreds of croaking frogs, thousands of screeching gulls, seasonal colonies of whistling eiders, and the constant buffeting of the Baltic wind.
The film focuses on the everyday lives of children for whom the small island of Christiansø is home. It's done as a filmed fieldwork, from January to September 2011.
Anthropologist/director -- Ida W. Winther
Klipper/editor -- Mads M. Rehder
Sprog/language: Danish
Undertekster/subtitle: English
Denmark 2012
https://youtu.be/8_vL-SAOX9s
https://youtu.be/fX5B8PIM4mc
I det empiriske materiale indgår otte unge mellem 16 og 21 år, som er fulgt gennem et filmet feltarbejde med deltagerobservationer, semistrukturerede interviews og uformelle samtaler, samt gennem deltagernes egne videooptagelser og et feltarbejde online på facebook. Fremstillingsformen består af en skriftlig afhandling og en kortere film på 28 minutter.
En tredjedel af børn og unge under 18 år i Danmark lever adskilt fra en eller flere af deres søskende i hverdagen. Det stigende antal af skilsmisser de sidste 35 år har medført mere komplekse søskenderelationer, hvilket betyder, at antallet af børn og unge med andre søskendeformer end biologiske søskende er tredoblet i denne periode. Samtidig skaber det grundforhold, at unge flytter hjemmefra, ligeledes adskillelse af søskende.
For at få en forståelse for nuancerne i, hvordan hverdagen for unge adskilte søskende opleves, bygger afhandlingen på en fænomenologisk inspiration særligt fra kropsfænomenologen Maurice Merleau-Ponty og post-fænomenologen Don Ihde, som danner teoretisk afsæt for en undersøgelse af, hvordan nærvær kan opleves gennem materialiteter og teknologier på baggrund af kropslige erfaringer, hvilket bliver afsættet for afhandlingens analyser.
Gennem analyserne vises det, med afsæt i de enkelte deltageres oplevelser og erfaringer, hvordan adskilte søskende på forskellige måder bliver en del af hinandens hverdag gennem brugen af sociale medier og mobile teknologier, som giver oplevelser af, hvad der i afhandlingen beskrives som kvasinærvær. Det vises ydermere, hvordan et sådant kvasinærvær bygger på kropslige erfaringer og ikke kan forstås adskilt fra offline interaktioner, og at kvasinærvær ligeledes kan opleves gennem erfaringer knyttet til materialiteter, selvom dette ikke indeholder opdateringer og informationer fra de fysisk fraværende søskendes hverdag. I analysen argumenteres der for, at oplevelsen af søskendehed er knyttet til tæthed og konfliktualitet, som ofte er koblet til søskendes fælles historik. Denne kan være sedimenteret i materialiteter i fælles hjem, men kan også skabes teknologisk som en synlig historik af forbundethed bestående af søskendes medierede interaktioner på sociale medier som facebook. Søskendehed er en subjektiv oplevelse, den er derfor uafhængig af, om søskende har biologiske bånd, eller om de alene er sociale relationer.
Gennem afhandlingens analyser af adskilte søskende vises, at kvasinærværet er en grundsten i oplevelsen af søskendehed, og at det derved en vigtig del i adskilte søskendes oplevelse af at være en del af hinandens hverdag.
I det empiriske materiale indgår otte unge mellem 16 og 21 år, som er fulgt gennem et filmet feltarbejde med deltagerobservationer, semistrukturerede interviews og uformelle samtaler, samt gennem deltagernes egne videooptagelser og et feltarbejde online på facebook. Fremstillingsformen består af en skriftlig afhandling og en kortere film på 28 minutter.
En tredjedel af børn og unge under 18 år i Danmark lever adskilt fra en eller flere af deres søskende i hverdagen. Det stigende antal af skilsmisser de sidste 35 år har medført mere komplekse søskenderelationer, hvilket betyder, at antallet af børn og unge med andre søskendeformer end biologiske søskende er tredoblet i denne periode. Samtidig skaber det grundforhold, at unge flytter hjemmefra, ligeledes adskillelse af søskende.
For at få en forståelse for nuancerne i, hvordan hverdagen for unge adskilte søskende opleves, bygger afhandlingen på en fænomenologisk inspiration særligt fra kropsfænomenologen Maurice Merleau-Ponty og post-fænomenologen Don Ihde, som danner teoretisk afsæt for en undersøgelse af, hvordan nærvær kan opleves gennem materialiteter og teknologier på baggrund af kropslige erfaringer, hvilket bliver afsættet for afhandlingens analyser.
Gennem analyserne vises det, med afsæt i de enkelte deltageres oplevelser og erfaringer, hvordan adskilte søskende på forskellige måder bliver en del af hinandens hverdag gennem brugen af sociale medier og mobile teknologier, som giver oplevelser af, hvad der i afhandlingen beskrives som kvasinærvær. Det vises ydermere, hvordan et sådant kvasinærvær bygger på kropslige erfaringer og ikke kan forstås adskilt fra offline interaktioner, og at kvasinærvær ligeledes kan opleves gennem erfaringer knyttet til materialiteter, selvom dette ikke indeholder opdateringer og informationer fra de fysisk fraværende søskendes hverdag. I analysen argumenteres der for, at oplevelsen af søskendehed er knyttet til tæthed og konfliktualitet, som ofte er koblet til søskendes fælles historik. Denne kan være sedimenteret i materialiteter i fælles hjem, men kan også skabes teknologisk som en synlig historik af forbundethed bestående af søskendes medierede interaktioner på sociale medier som facebook. Søskendehed er en subjektiv oplevelse, den er derfor uafhængig af, om søskende har biologiske bånd, eller om de alene er sociale relationer.
Gennem afhandlingens analyser af adskilte søskende vises, at kvasinærværet er en grundsten i oplevelsen af søskendehed, og at det derved en vigtig del i adskilte søskendes oplevelse af at være en del af hinandens hverdag.
The purpose of the present study and the fieldwork it is based on is to get an understanding of how videobloggers (vloggers) interact socially in their everyday lives, as these interactions consistof both face-to-face interactions in New York City and mediated interactions through videoblogs (vlogs) on YouTube. Furthermore, the thesis will discuss which methods can be used in a fieldwhich is visually orientatedand exists in both online and offline settings.
The study applies a multi method approach to a complex empirical field. This approach consists of participant observations in both online and offline settings and is inspired by both traditional anthropological methods as presented by Bronislaw Malinowski, James P. Spradley and George E. Marcus, but also by virtual ethnography as presented by Christine Hine, Don Slater, Brian Wilson and others. The visual form that the empirical field is centered around motivated the use of a camera as a way to connect with the vloggers. It is primary Perle Møhl’s, David MacDougal’s and Jean Rouch’s discussions ofparticipatory cinema and cinéma vérié which have stimulated this methodological approach.
The division of the field study into two settings,and the consequences ofthe way it was perceived as a division by me as an anthropologist in the initial approach,have led to reflections on the dichotomyonline/offline, but also reality/virtuality and public/private as the videos mediate the vloggers' private information into a public site as YouTube. Also,the vloggers in their vlogs are reflecting on what the difference in self-presentation is between the vlogs as virtuality and the real life as reality. Therefore the analysis is created as a critical discussion of the online/offline, reality/virtuality and public/privatedichotomies.
The online/offline dichotomy as a way of categorizing the vloggers' social interactions is argued to implode into another state of asynchronous coexistence of always on and always off, as the vloggers are always offline in their bodies and interacting face-to-face, but also they are always online as they have nomadic technologies enabling them to stay connected at all times.
Performativity is argued as the simultaneous nature of reality andvirtuality. In everyday life vloggers use their vlogs in a way where the people they meet can go and experience them as a representation and get a good impression of them via the asynchronous media because they appear as themselves in a heightened version in these vlogs. Performativity is therefore used to describe how the vloggersplay the role of themselves.
Because vloggers use vlogs as a way of presenting themselves, they often display personal aspects. This mediated privacy causes ablurring of the boundaries betweenpublic and private that is best described asaccessible privacy mediated to a nano-public. This is because it is first and foremost a numbered group of other vloggers from the same community who actually access the vlog and therefore also the mediated privacy.
Finally, a new perspective, syncline, is created to embrace the complexity of the empirical field. The conceptual design of syncline is based on the synchronous coexistence of the imploded dichotomies, but it is also used to bring them into a meta-perspective. Syncline is a perspective on how vloggers appear in their vlogs and in their daily lives as parallels, in a way where they are recognizable by their humor, charm and flirtatious behavior across mediated and non-mediated interactions, because the audiovisual media as intermediary mediates precisely the nuances allowing the familiarity. The vloggers use a kind of social interaction in their everyday social lives that weave togetherface-to-face interactions and mediated interactions into a complex structure. This means that the mediated interactions online affect their face-to-face interactions offline and vice versain a way that in this study is describedas the syncline everyday life.