Janne Bromseth

Public places - public activities? Context sensitivity as key to defining 'space' and selecting ethically sound methodological approaches in researching social interaction activities online.

Abstract

The practices of net-mediated communication have challenged existing ethical guidelines, as online social spaces often fall between what is considered to be public and private spheres. Conducting passive research like participant observation creates additional complications. The process of modifying existing guidelines is being negotiated and institutionalized by research communities, by AOIR colleagues, as well as local and national ethical review boards. A key issue in this debate is the question of when and whether informed consent is required. This issue is tightly entwined with the issue of how net-mediated spheres are categorized and defined. Whereas some researchers lean towards public accessibility as major criteria, a number of other scholars have emphasized the importance of other aspects of the context in defining a specific net-mediated social activity. My discussion in this roundtable will focus on contextual features, the ethical dilemmas, and the methodological implications of our study sites.