Claire Corsten's ARIA project:Ěý"Hashtag Sociology" and the Use of Twitter for Ethnographic Observation and Data Analysis
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My project was inspired by a paper I wrote for a seminar called “Urban Ethnography,” led by Professor Jan Doering. This class was the first time I was invited to not only read sociological ethnographies, but to critically evaluate their content and methodologies. My final paper involved a review of works that used Twitter as a field site for ethnographic observation, specifically focusing on those related to “Black Twitter.” I found that the majority of non-black ethnographers studying this online community were basing their conclusions around isolated tweets without contacting the original writers and often assuming Twitter users’ races and other demographic data based solely on their profiles. I wanted to perform a study of Twitter communities and subcultures in a different way, which is where Hashtag Sociology began. Initially, I set out to explore both a specific Twitter subculture and the ethical use of Twitter for social scientific research more generally. I believe that, although as a relatively new and constantly changing potential ethnographic field site Twitter presents ethical and methodological challenges, it should not be written off by the field of sociology entirely and can in fact be a highly useful tool for research.
I chose to focus on online activist networks, eventually narrowing in on the Black Lives Matter movement. My main learning objectives were to understand how people perceive online activism, what their experiences with Twitter have been, how their online activism affects daily life, and how socio-political conversations have evolved over time via social media. I began with a literature review of academic articles on the use of Twitter for activism, and then created my own Twitter account. I described myself on my profile as a student researcher at Â鶹AV, and explained a bit about my project. I then began reaching out to users who were located in Montreal and who had used the hashtag “#BlackLivesMatter” or “#BLM” between April and August 2020. I told them that I was interested in interviewing them about their feelings toward and experiences with Twitter, specifically as an activist network. I ended up interviewing six people and found each unique conversation incredibly enriching and enlightening. Interview questions were broken down into six sections: personal/demographic, definitions of online activism, the Black Lives Matter movement/hashtag, online-offline links, and sociological research/ethnographic observation using Twitter. After transcribing these interviews, I highlighted particularly interesting points or common themes. The interviews themselves were definitely my favourite part of the research process. All six participants had such different life and online activist experiences, and each perspective taught me something new. I would never have made these connections had it not been for my research, and I have learned so much about how to develop a rapport with participants as a researcher and the importance of entering ethnography or field research with an open mind.
The main challenge I faced with was narrowing in on specific topics or ideas, because there were so many different pathways my research could have taken, all of which would have been fascinating. For example, at the beginning of the summer, I was debating whether to focus on vegan activism or racial justice movements, both of which are prevalent in Montreal. My supervisor, Professor Jan Doering, was tremendously helpful with this, consistently offering guidance, constructive criticism and encouragement.
Since I chose to focus on online activism and the Black Lives Matter movement, I was unable to work on another goal I had for my project, which was to create a methodological framework for the use of Twitter as an ethnographic field site or source of data for social scientists. Luckily, my supervisor has agreed to mentor me as I pursue an Independent Study credit this Fall 2020 semester so that I may continue my research and shift my focus toward sociologists’ (rather than activists’) use of Twitter. The opportunity to pursue my research thanks to my ARIA grant has sparked my interest in pursuing a masters in sociology. I would love to continue my research after my undergraduate studies are over, and I am excited to see how my project – and sociology’s relationship to Twitter – evolves over time.
I would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Joan Eakin and Mr. Christopher Hoffman for funding The Eakin & Hoffman Arts Research Internship Award and making this research possible. Thank you to the Arts Internship Award Office for the support throughout the summer and for adapting so well to COVID-19 constraints, and thank you to my supervisor, Professor Jan Doering.
