The history of research ethics could be told in our mistakes, and our collective attempts to learn from them. Since the phenomena we study and the contexts we are studying them in are constantly changing, we must also reflect on how we should apply research ethics. All methods questions are ethics questions, since every choice one makes about how to get something done is grounded in a set of moral principles. But since digital research brings together scholars from various disciplines who have different methodological, epistemological and ontological training and worldviews, this also raises questions on how one should think about ethics in digital research.
One of the more heated debates regarding digital research ethics is about what online material should be considered private and what should be considered public. Another area that needs further guidelines is how to imply digital ethics for research using digital images of bodies shared on social media.
At this Tech Breakfast we will discuss two articles about ethics in digital research. One of the articles will be presented by Moa Eriksson Krutrök, who is a lecturer in Media- and communication studies and in her current research is studying how social media is used in connection to crises.
The other article will be presented by Johanna Arnesson, who is an assistant lecturer in Media- and communication studies at Umeå University. She is currently doing research about Swedish influencers that are claiming, or are being ascribed, political meaning or agency.
Tiidenberg, Katrin. "Ethics in digital research." The SAGE handbook of qualitative data collection (2018): 466-479.
Available online: https://www.academia.edu/36641788/Ethics_in_Digital_Research_in_SAGE_Handbook_for_Qualitative_Data_Collection_edited_by_Uwe_Flick_2018
Warfield, Katie, et al. "Pics, Dicks, Tits, and Tats: negotiating ethics working with images of bodies in social media research." new media & society 21.9 (2019): 2068-2086.
Available online:
https://www.academia.edu/39018947/Pics_Dicks_Tits_and_Tats_negotiating_ethics_working_with_images_of_bodies_in_social_media_research?source=swp_share
This session is held in ZOOM. You will need to register using the form below to receive the link to the meeting.