How to understand and capture user-generated, born-digital materials as cultural heritage. Theory-building research exploring the Cultural Heritage Continuum Model developed by Frank Upward.

1. Primary issues:
The Research focus:
The Knowledgeable Actor:
How do Youtubeusers create,use,capture,organise
and share their videos on Youtube?
•Process
of
culture
formation
•Interaction
with
online
tools
The Digital Space:
In what ways does Youtube act as a collection of
memories for anindividual and acommunity?
•Memory storage through storytelling and
sharing
•Youtube as legi timising agent f or sma ll
stories
Culture in the Continuum:
Youtube, small stories and memory making
Gilliland, A., and S. Mc Kemmis h. 2004. Building an Infrastruc ture for Arc hiv al Res earc h. Arc hiv al Sc ience 4
(3):149-­197.
Upward, F. (2005). Continuum mec hanics and memory bank s [Series of parts ]: Part 1: Multi-­polarity. Archives
and Manus c ripts , 33(1), 84-­109. Retriev ed Augus t 8, 2007, from Databas e Aus tralian Public Affairs Full Text
databas e.
Upward, F. (2005). Continuum mec hanics and memory bank s [Series of two parts ] Part 2: The making of
c ulture. Arc hiv es and Manusc ripts , 33(2), 18-­51. Retriev ed Augus t 8, 2007, from Aus tralian Public Affairs Full
Tex t databas e.
How to understand and capture born digital information is the mostchallenging issue in archival science today. The
revolution ofdigital technologies allows everyone tocontribute,communicate,re-­inventand etch out spaces for personal
identity,community andvisualculture.The use ofonlinesocial media tools,often referred to asWeb 2.0,contributes to a
rich born digital cultural heritage, however, in archival science, a space and language for these cultural information
systems does notexist.Within a history prestigious museum spaces and worship of the cultural artefact,online digital
technologiesoftheeveryday arebeinglost to the ephemeral orumbrella-­edintoweb archiving.
Frank Upward’s Cultural Heritage Continuum model (figure 1), one of the array of information processing models
developed inrelationshipwith Monash University,provides an opportunity to develop a systems understanding aboutthis
kind ofborn digital information.In Upward’s Continuum theory,the beginning and the end is the flicker, an instantwhere
creativitycan take hold.Understanding the flicker and the forms and spaces in which itlives is the key to understanding
information capture,organisation andpluralisationin onlinedigital heritage.
Youtube, a vastuser-­generated repository ofdigital moving image material,provides an opportunity for scrutiny of the
constructand ongoing developmentof digital information in online spaces and the potential impact on cultural heritage
preservation. Identifying Youtube as a website containing moving image ignores the complex information system that
contribute to its existence as a space for cultural stories. The individual Youtube user is where the flicker begins.The
actions ofthe user reveal the process ofcultural heritage formation through small stories and personal memory making.
This research investigates theuserin theContinuum of(born digital) Cultural Heritage.
The approach to researching thesespaces and their culturalcontentis multidisciplinary and necessarilycomplex.Without
currentresearch in this field,threads ofconversation concerning the impactofdigital technology are found in the literature
of sociology,cultural and media theorists, as well as archival research. In addition, the application of the Continuum
models within the research is complex,with its inherentproperties of information processing used as both method and
methodology. In involving the models so deeply into methodology,theresearch,in a sense becomes a reflection ofitself
by embedding and testing therecursivenatureofthe construction ofknowledge.
Leisa Gibbons, Centre for Organisational and Social Informatics, CaSIT.
Supervisor, Sue McKemmish
Exploration of the literature reveals lack…
…of
research
into
Web
2.0
applications
as
cultural
agents.
…of
archival
research
addressing
cultural
born
digital
material
in
preservation
strategies.
Development of a methodology model to…
…embrace
a
multi-­‐‑disciplinary
approach
in
interpretivist
research.
…present
Continuum
thinking
in
knowledge
generation.
Discover and interpret cultural agency to…
…understand
how
Youtube
tools
contribute
to
content
sharing
and
communication.
…define
what
types
and
styles
of
videos
are
being
made
on
Youtube.
Select and interview…
…Youtube
users
as
case
studies.
Grounded theory analysis using…
…the
language
of
cultural
and
media
theory
models
and
research.
…the
Cultural
Heritage
Continuum
model.
Generate theory…
…using
grounded
theory
method.
…from
theoretical
investigations.
Test theory…
…using
the
Cultural
Heritage
Continuum
model
Figure 2
Exploration oftheoryhas expandedtheresearch intorich conceptsontimeand space:
• Anthony Giddens’ Structuration Theory
• Bergson’snon-­‐linear time
• Deleuze&Guttari’srhizomicsystemsof knowledge
• Foucault’sheterotopias
Additionally, thelack of alanguageto describeborn digitalcontent found in new and
diverseonlinespacesprovides thedrivingforcebehind critically exploringtheories of
mediauseand evolution.
This research project travels a different path to current thinking about digital
technologies, preservation and archivalscience. By embracingContinuumtheory, the
nature of what is known in the archival field about cultural heritage will be
fundamentallyaltered.
The influenceofthisresearch isfarranging:
• Institutionalpractices and worshipoftheculturalartefact
• Theory ofapost modern world withmultipleandequalpoints ofview
• Applications in copyright withscopingalanguagefor borndigitalmaterial
• Legaldefinitions ofborndigitalmaterial
• Systems thinkingfor born digitalculturalmaterial
• Contributetothebuildingusefulculturalcommunication machines
Significant issuesarising frominitialanalysis:
• Youtube is used as a storage facility.
• Once videos were uploaded, a sense of personal ownership was relinquished.
• The act of video making and high quality home storage reveals a strong influence for
personal recordkeeping.
• Public exhibi tion an d feedback from other Yout ube users is often the primary inspiratio n
to create videos in the first place.
• The abili ty to commun icate a poi nt o f view or an indivi dual passion is a strong push for
starting to contribute online.
• Interaction online provides context an d meaning to a Yout ube ident ity through vi deo
recommendations, responses, comments and favouriting tools.
• Collaboration and develop ment of onl ine relationships ‘offline’ contrib utes to a richer
online interactive experience.
User -­‐
cont r ibut ed
m et adat a
Typology
of
website
tools
to
create,
define
and
communicate
identity.
Exper im ent s
wit h
f ilm
m aking
Or iginal
TV
Shows
( nar r at ive)
Skit s
Anim at ion
including
claym at ion
Mashups
Am at eur
m usic
per f or m ance
Lip
syncing
t o
copyr ight
m usic
Clips
f r om
copyr ight
m at er ial
VlogsFan
f ilm s
using
am at eur act or s
Fan
f ic( t ion)
Hom e
video
Live
band
per f or m ances
( boot leg)
Fan
f ilm s
using
m ovie
im ages
Com m ent s
on
videos
Descr ipt ion
of
videos
Yout ube
nam e
Yout ube
channel
space
Response
videos
Video
collect ions
incl.
f avour it es
Or iginal
Shor t
f ilm
( nar r at ive)
Or iginal
TV
Shows
( non-­‐ nar r at ive)
Video communication types and styles
Text-­based communication tools
Web page building tools
Figure 3
Youtube
• Memory and
technology
• Agency and
technology
Storytelling
• Moving image
communication
• Online spaces
• Memory
making
Personal
recordkeeping
• Use of online
spaces
• Time and
memory
Figure 1
How
to
understand
Cultural
Heritage
formation
in
Web
2.0
spaces
using
Youtube?
How
to
understand
user
interaction
and
information
processing
through
using
Youtube?
The Bubble model(figure 2):
• Is thediscourseanalysis.
• Is an ideological, theoreticaland philosophicalframeworkfor research.
• Shows deep understandings andlinkingofconcepts.
• Represents timeand spacewherelayers ofmeaningarebuilt intoaframework.
• Does not promotegeneralisation, butrather embraces complexity.
• Provides aspacefor sourced conceptualmodels to beembedded in Continuum
thinking.
Multi-disciplinary Research Research Findings: Case Studies
Research Findings: Youtube as Cultural Agent
Future Research Direction
References
Research Design
Methodology