About
The Project
This research came about through an international research collaboration with Dr. Elisabeth Militz at the Universität Innsbruck in Austria, and Dr. Roberta Hawkins at the University of Guelph in Canada. Informed by their commitment to feminist practice, and differing experiences conducting social media research, Elisabeth and Roberta co-created this project during Elisabeth’s time as a visiting scholar at the University of Guelph in 2022.
This research builds on other critical work such as Black digital feminisms, Indigenous digital studies, and critical data studies, with the goal to gain a nuanced understanding of feminist social media research experiences and practices and to advance change towards socially just ways of researching social media spaces. To understand how researchers can translate carefull feminist research approaches to the often impersonal and disembodied spaces of social media, the project will:
1. Identify and evaluate feminist social media research methods
2. Investigate how differently positioned scholars experience and practice social media research
3. Develop, collaboratively refine and disseminate a framework for feminist social media research methodologies
Background
Often, research with social media platforms takes place sitting alone behind a computer or smartphone screen. But what feelings accompany digital participant observations on Instagram? How do researchers deal with contradictions related to the alleged publicness and volatility of X (formerly Twitter) data? How can scholars value the digital work of content moderators and influencers, who make social media research possible in the first place? Opportunities to discuss social media research practices and their embodied and emotional challenges, are rare. The dynamic, speed, and relative newness of social media landscapes further contribute to turning feminist social media research practices into a messy process of trial and error. It's in this context that this research project was formed.
SOCIAL MEDIA | virtual platforms that centre the ‘social.’
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social networking platforms [Facebook, X aka Twitter]
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visual content sharing platforms [Pinterest, Instagram]
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short and long-form video platforms [YouTube, TikTok]
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blogging and discussion platforms [Tumbler, Reddit]
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messaging platforms [WhatsApp]
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social payment platforms [Venmo]
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other content creation platforms [Twitch for gaming, OnlyFans for adult content, etc.]
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