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Researching Hate: Negotiating the Digital as Field Site in the Study of Extremist Cultures and Propaganda Online
Ashley Mattheis
Fieldwork Experiences in Criminology and Security: Methods, Ethics, and Emotions
Swansea University Author: Ashley Mattheis
Abstract
Research in digital spaces, particularly the study of violent actors and organizations, poses ethical, methodological, and emotional concerns. These concerns are particularly acute for qualitative study given that digital spaces as field sites can often blur the lines between participant-based and t...
| Published in: | Fieldwork Experiences in Criminology and Security: Methods, Ethics, and Emotions |
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| Published: |
Springer Nature
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63198 |
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| Abstract: |
Research in digital spaces, particularly the study of violent actors and organizations, poses ethical, methodological, and emotional concerns. These concerns are particularly acute for qualitative study given that digital spaces as field sites can often blur the lines between participant-based and text-based research. Here, ethical concerns might include questions such as whether online textual analysis is or is not a form of participant observation. Methodological concerns might include defining what constitutes a textual unit of analysis across online communities and on social media. Emotional concerns are twofold, first they often include the problematics of working with difficult data as researchers must address repeated, prolonged exposure to hate speech and violent content. Second, the trend of disseminating research findings on social media poses mental and emotional concerns given the high potential for online harassment, doxing, and attacks from online trolls. This chapter contributes to the larger discussion through an exploration of the author’s experience negotiating digital space as her “field site” for text-based, qualitative study of far-right and male supremacist extremist digital propaganda. Ultimately, the author argues that reflexive research design is necessary to address potential problems, clarify ethical reasoning, and adapt methodological frameworks for online study. |
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| Keywords: |
Research Ethics, Methods and Methodology. Researcher Safety Online. Reflexive Research Design (RRD), Difficult Data, Online Extremism Research |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |