Digital Research
Week 13

Bit of a blurry concept
• Digital tools for helping with data collection,
analysis, and presentation (e.g.,
surveymonkey, AtlasTI, infographics)
• Research conducted entirely online
• Research partially conducted online
• Research focusing on mobile
communications and network access etc.
• Research that is “technology” focused (e.g.,
tablet use, Smartboard use)
• Old research in digital disguise (especially in
education)

Potential issues
• “Hit & Run/Drive-by” research
• Anonymity
• Demographics
• Ethics
• Learning assumed to occur simply because
digital tech is present
• Problem of needing-to-research-something
studies
• Problem of convenience driving the study

Everything has meaning
Segment D (from Tanaka Nanako’s author notes)
L13 Thank you all who reviewed this story,
L14 and this chapter is dedicated to Sakura Blossomz01, wild-gurl,
Sweet^-^Rose, DZ pals, Fire Light and Lily-Chan.
L15 Thank you for adding me to your favorite author list! ^//.//^
L16 THANKS FOR THE GREAT SUPPORT YOU ARE GIVING ME!
^________^
L17 *Hugs her reviewers*
Segment E
L18 By the way, please pay close attentions to the e-mails in this
chapter,
L19 because they are some really important clues.
Source: Black (2008). Adolescents and Online Fiction. New York: Peter Lang.

Digital Research &
Research Design
• Established research designs and
approaches don’t necessarily transfer well
• Drawing boundaries around cases can be
tricky
• New social practices that haven’t been
studied before (e.g., “friending,”
“tagging”)
• Multiple terms for fairly similar things but
still tricky to talk about across fields

An example

I’m an average student,
Cs, Bs and a couple of
Ds in Statistics and
Economics (tricky stuff
>w<).

More things to consider
• Anonymity and traceability (and the desire
for visibility)
• Privacy issues
• Timing of data collection
• How to present multimedia and hyperlinked
practices in the flat plane of academic writing
• What your study contributes (to); i.e., larger
ideological positions

Let’s take a look….
•CamStudio
•Endnote
•Evernote
•Webcopier

There’s an app for that!
• http://www.mrmw.net/news-blogs/295-a-quick-
review-of-mobile-apps-for-qualitative-
research
• http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/apps.html

Practical Resources
• Hahn (2008). Doing qualitative research
using your computer: A practical guide.
Sage.
• Boellstorf et al. (2012). Ethnography and
virtual worlds: A handbook of method.
Princeton Uni. Press.
• Markham & Baym (2008). Internet inquiry:
Conversations about method. Sage.