Watching, listening, Watching, listening, reading and clickingreading and clicking

Bella DicksBella Dicks

Cardiff School of Social SciencesCardiff School of Social SciencesResearch Methods Festival 30 June - 3 July 2008Research Methods Festival 30 June - 3 July 2008

getting findings ‘out there’getting findings ‘out there’

Traditional print disseminationTraditional print dissemination– Journal article/reportJournal article/report– BookBook

Filmic disseminationFilmic dissemination E.g. ethnographic filmE.g. ethnographic film

networked digital medianetworked digital media

New electronic possibilitiesNew electronic possibilities– digital videodigital video– electronic articleelectronic article– podcast/sound essaypodcast/sound essay– Clickable multimedia = hypermediaClickable multimedia = hypermedia

Web as new means of distributionWeb as new means of distribution

authoring in different mediaauthoring in different media

How do different media communicate?How do different media communicate?– conventions of print conventions of print

(outline structure; rhetorics & genres of scholarly (outline structure; rhetorics & genres of scholarly reporting & argumentation; conventions of reporting & argumentation; conventions of presenting evidence; sequentiality, etc.)presenting evidence; sequentiality, etc.)

– conventions of film conventions of film (uni-linear structure; narrative conventions of genre (uni-linear structure; narrative conventions of genre

& style – e.g. documentary; politics/poetics of editing; & style – e.g. documentary; politics/poetics of editing; representing temporality; etc.)representing temporality; etc.)

– conventions of sound conventions of sound (radio-genres; narrativity & unfolding action; uni-(radio-genres; narrativity & unfolding action; uni-

linear explosition; timbre, cadence, accent, linear explosition; timbre, cadence, accent, soundscapes, sound-effects, etc.)soundscapes, sound-effects, etc.)

why use the screen?why use the screen?

accessibility - reaching new audiencesaccessibility - reaching new audiences providing access to data-sets - transparencyproviding access to data-sets - transparency enabling interactivityenabling interactivity creating reproducibilitycreating reproducibility encouraging re-use & ongoing analysisencouraging re-use & ongoing analysis enhancing speed of disseminationenhancing speed of dissemination allowing more creative & flexible navigationallowing more creative & flexible navigation exploiting multimedia capabilitiesexploiting multimedia capabilities

the cinematic imaginationthe cinematic imaginationMarcus, G. (1994) The modernist sensibility in recent ethnographic writing and the cinematic metaphor Marcus, G. (1994) The modernist sensibility in recent ethnographic writing and the cinematic metaphor

of montage, in L. Taylor (ed.) of montage, in L. Taylor (ed.) Visualising Theory: Essays from V. A. R. 1990-1994Visualising Theory: Essays from V. A. R. 1990-1994. Routledge.. Routledge.

New sensibilities in ethnographic writing which seek New sensibilities in ethnographic writing which seek to :to :

problematise the spatialproblematise the spatial problematise the temporalproblematise the temporal problematise perspective/voiceproblematise perspective/voice acknowledge dialogic authorshipacknowledge dialogic authorship perform bifocality (reflexivity)perform bifocality (reflexivity) produce critical juxtapositionproduce critical juxtaposition

scholarly mediascholarly media

see P. Biella, 1993, Beyond Ethnographic film, in J.R. Rollwagen (ed) Asee P. Biella, 1993, Beyond Ethnographic film, in J.R. Rollwagen (ed) Anthropological film and video in the 1990snthropological film and video in the 1990s, NY: , NY: The Institute Inc.The Institute Inc.

essential components of a scholarly work:essential components of a scholarly work:

1.1. further established paradigms in literature, e.g. further established paradigms in literature, e.g. through originality, debate, response, etc.through originality, debate, response, etc.

2.2. adhere to standards of clarity, debate & argumentadhere to standards of clarity, debate & argument3.3. conform to expected formats high in redundancy, e.g. conform to expected formats high in redundancy, e.g.

contents, cross-references, abstract, data, footnotes, contents, cross-references, abstract, data, footnotes, results, etc.results, etc.

4.4. enable rapid, repeated, non-linear studyenable rapid, repeated, non-linear study5.5. allow reader to take unlimited notesallow reader to take unlimited notes6.6. allow author to make unlimited footnotes & allow author to make unlimited footnotes &

bibliographic referencesbibliographic referencesSee also Grimshaw, A. (2001) See also Grimshaw, A. (2001) The Ethnographer's Eye: Ways of seeing in modern anthropologyThe Ethnographer's Eye: Ways of seeing in modern anthropology. Cambridge: . Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press.Cambridge University Press.

screen-based authoringscreen-based authoring

What What cancan we put on screen? we put on screen?– texttext– videovideo– audioaudio– graphicsgraphics– clickable hyperlinksclickable hyperlinks

How to combine these through screen How to combine these through screen designdesign & & navigationnavigation??

N.B. multimodality of screen-based N.B. multimodality of screen-based mediamedia

on-screen authoring effectson-screen authoring effects

relationship between text, sound, imagesrelationship between text, sound, images refracting analysis through different refracting analysis through different

lenses lenses (see Denzin & Lincoln, 2000: The discipline & practice of qualitative research, (see Denzin & Lincoln, 2000: The discipline & practice of qualitative research, Handbook of qualitative research, Sage.)Handbook of qualitative research, Sage.)

presenting multiple perspectives/voicespresenting multiple perspectives/voices dialogue between participants, author, dialogue between participants, author,

audiencesaudiences multi-linear navigation (maintaining multi-linear navigation (maintaining

sequentiality?)sequentiality?)

loss of scholarly apparatus? loss of scholarly apparatus?

loss of structure, coherence & loss of structure, coherence & sequentialitysequentiality

occluding of argument and authorial occluding of argument and authorial voicevoice

reduction of analysis to bit-sized reduction of analysis to bit-sized fragmentsfragments

telling risks being replaced with showingtelling risks being replaced with showing distraction of special effects & aimless distraction of special effects & aimless

clickingclicking

Watching, listening, reading Watching, listening, reading and clickingand clicking

Research project: current and ongoingResearch project: current and ongoing

compares responses to:compares responses to:

1.1. Hypermedia web-pagesHypermedia web-pages

2.2. Ethnographic filmEthnographic film

3.3. Print journal articlePrint journal article

Audiences: PhD studentsAudiences: PhD students

findings so farfindings so far

audiences appear to be: audiences appear to be:

more critical & demanding of filmmore critical & demanding of film less reflexive about written articleless reflexive about written article seeking a clear authorial voiceseeking a clear authorial voice requiring a step-by-step argumentrequiring a step-by-step argument