Lecture

Field Work Session

Today, you’re going to pick your field journal topic (with a bit of help from your peers). The goal is to leave class with a good idea of what you’ll be working on this semester.

Objective:

The goal of this activity is to help students brainstorm, refine, and select an appropriate topic for their semester-long digital ethnography project. The activity will guide students through identifying a media object that is rich in cultural and technological significance, ensuring they choose a topic that will sustain their interest and meet the requirements of the project.

Instructions:

1. Introduction and Goal Setting (10 minutes):
• Begin with a brief discussion on what makes a good topic for a digital ethnography. Emphasize the importance of choosing a media object that:
• Is actively used or engaged with by a community.
• Has cultural significance or generates unique social interactions.
• Operates on a platform or through a technology that influences the way it is consumed or produced.
• Outline the goal of the activity: by the end of the class, each student should have a well-defined topic that they can commit to for their project.
2. Brainstorming Session (15 minutes):
• Ask students to take 5 minutes individually to brainstorm a list of potential topics. They should consider different types of media, such as social media accounts, streaming platforms, specific online communities, or digital tools that are culturally relevant.
• After brainstorming, have students pair up (or form small groups) and spend 10 minutes discussing their ideas. Each student should briefly describe their top three potential topics to their partner/group, explaining why they find each topic interesting and how it might be explored in a digital ethnography.
3. Topic Evaluation (20 minutes):
• Distribute a worksheet or project criteria checklist with the following questions to guide students in evaluating their topics:
1. Cultural Significance: Does this media object have a notable impact on a specific community or culture? How?
2. Technological Influence: How does the platform or technology shape the way this media is created, shared, or consumed?
3. Sustainability: Is this topic broad enough to explore throughout the semester but focused enough to be manageable?
4. Ethnographic Richness: Are there enough observable interactions, behaviors, or content for detailed analysis? What kinds of data (e.g., comments, likes, shares, posts) will be available for study?
5. Personal Interest: Are you genuinely interested in this topic? Will it hold your attention for the entire semester?
• Have students use these questions to evaluate each of their potential topics. They can do this individually or continue discussing in their pairs/groups.
4. Final Decision and Sharing (15 minutes):
• After evaluating their options, students should choose their final topic for the digital ethnography project.
• Once they’ve made their choice, each student will briefly present their topic to the class. They should explain:
• What media object they’ve chosen.
• Why it’s significant both culturally and technologically.
• What they hope to discover or explore through their ethnography.
• Encourage brief feedback from peers and the instructor to help refine their topics further.

Turn In to eLearning

1. Your Topic/ community
2. Why you think it’s a good topic
3. Where the community lives (the platform, website, or channel)