creative methods for social research under confinement

We are members of a social science lab in Sydney, Australia, and collectively we research how social factors, such as gender or education, affect health and how people integrate digital technologies into their daily lives. . We’ve looked at topics like smartphone use, women’s health and fitness practices, and how people use smartwatches to track self-improvement metrics. Observing people in their daily environment was an important part of our job. Being physically present has helped us understand people’s routines and relationships, as well as the social world around them.

And then COVID happened. This meant more face-to-face interviews or in-person research. Yet the need to understand people’s experiences – especially their health and their relationship to the digital world – seemed more important than ever. We had to quickly rethink our methods and improvise, so we started experimenting with creative digital techniques to capture different voices and perspectives (see “toolbox”).

Here are summaries of three of these methods, along with what we’ve learned about them so far.

Digital agendas

When the lockdown began, we noticed more people walking, biking and reallocating outdoor spaces for recreation in our own neighborhoods. We decided to investigate people’s improvised fitness practices while in lockdown. We wanted to include a participant-driven experience that reduced the real-time demands of live interviews on the Zoom video conferencing platform, especially in a time when screen fatigue was rampant, which would allow us to capture meaningful moments outside of an interview. We asked participants to start creating digital journals so they could tell their stories through a combination of photos and text, instead of relying only on language.

Participants received a daily email with a link to the “digital journal entry” form. They were asked to upload a digital image related to their physical activity and tell a short story about what the photo meant to them. We were concerned that people would provide very short and descriptive answers. But attendees uploaded a wide variety of images and shared thoughtful and moving stories. These stories provided rich information about the background and challenges of daily life during the pandemic and underscored the importance of physical activity to maintain daily routines and provide respite from the stressors of the pandemic. Our results help us understand the benefits of physical activity beyond health and aesthetics. These include providing a sense of “escape” from the stresses of everyday life during the pandemic, gaining a sense of control in times of uncertainty, creating daily routines and gaining a sense of calm. (sometimes ephemeral). Digital photo journals have helped bring these ideas to life in ways that a virtual interview could not.

Zine making

A second method in the series is ‘zine’ making. Zines (linguistically derived from “magazines”) are do-it-yourself publications of writing and visual art. People do them to share their creative work and spread community information, much like an analog form of blogging. Although zine workshops are often held in person, we have designed digital workshops that combine creative processes online and in print.

Creating a digital zine works the same way as an online discussion group. We aim to bring together diverse perspectives on a given issue, for example, mental health and social media. So we get a small group of participants together using Zoom to discuss the research topic. Plus, each person uses pens, paper, and magazine scraps to create one or two real-time pages that represent their opinions. They then post them to us or email them to us, so that we can compile a single workshop zine that connects their different perspectives.

Standard focus groups can be dominated by one or two louder voices. It is also difficult for people to express their feelings about complex issues verbally. The creation of zine offers a creative process and an end product that distills the diverse perspectives of people and gives space to all voices. We analyze the recording of the discussion and the content of the final product to get a nuanced idea of ​​how people understand social issues.

Youtube

A third method in our series is to analyze YouTube videos. We were analyzing YouTube videos even before the pandemic because there is a wide range of communities active on the platform. As with many social media platforms, people socialize through YouTube. This makes it a valuable site for content analysis and virtual observation.

Studying digital communities works much the same way as in-person fieldwork: you need to get to know the community, be an observer, and take notes. First, we find relevant videos by keyword research, and we identify top creators by observing user uploads and engagement with their audiences. Then, for many months, we watch hours of relevant videos to determine content patterns and interaction patterns, performing qualitative analysis of the content of the actual videos and the types of conversations people have in the sections of the video. comments. As with in-person observation, by studying online communities and their content, like that on YouTube, we gain a deep understanding of how digital interactions have changed over time and we learn how communities develop on platforms. which are becoming more and more important in everyday life.

These digital methods have helped us to continue our research throughout the pandemic. However, they offered much more than a “next” option or a temporary quick fix. By fully embracing creativity and digital alternatives, researchers in all fields can acquire rich knowledge and connections, which is especially important in these times of distancing. During the pandemic, collaboration and the sharing of resources provided much needed support for many of us.

This is an article from the Nature Careers Community, a place where Nature readers share their professional experiences and advice. Guest posts are encouraged.