MCC315 TJ, 2016 Fieldwork activity 1: Digital Zeitgeists Due by 11pm, Friday 7th October via Moodle (if you are having problems with Moodle, please email your assignment through to your affiliate teacher before the due date. Please ensure you have carefully read through pages 21 & 22 of the Unit Guide). The following information is an elaboration of what is in the Unit Guide following what we went through in class as well as a response to some questions I have received. If anything below is unclear or there is something you would like to ask about that is not addressed in this document, please discuss this with your affiliate teacher! The point of these fieldwork activities is to look at new media as a sociologist or cultural theorist would. Fieldwork activity 1 Digital zeitgeist o Research the phenomenon of digital zeitgeists  Review your notes from the lectures dealing with this topic. - As we know zeitgeist means ‘spirit of the time’, so when we talk about this we mean things that are popular or ‘trendy’ and in the public consciousness. Remember, in this activity a digital zeitgeist is a very specific website/service. Some have suggested in previous years that ‘selfies’ are an example of a digital zeitgeist, this is a very good example of a contemporary zeitgeist of digital or mobile phone culture more broadly (just as marriage equality could be considered an important part of the current Australian political zeitgeist), but when we talk about digital zeitgeists for the purposes of this fieldwork activity, we mean sites that measure trends and then present that information in a digital form (in this case websites). - In class we looked at the following (but this list is not exhaustive by any means!): • Google Trends/Hot Trends/Trends 2014/Google Zeitgeist 2011 • Youtube Trends Dashboard/ #PopularOnYouTubeAustralia • Twitter (See also http://trends24.in/australia/) • Reddit/Digg • Delicious  Choose a research question. - For example: • What does the phenomenon of digital zeitgeists say about our culture? • What are the characteristics of the digital zeitgeist as an information filter, and how does it compare to forms of zeitgeist in other media? • What is the difference between various versions of digital zeitgeist on different sites, and what is the reason for these differences? • If you wish to use a question of your own, I would strongly advise you run it by your affiliate teacher first – remember, they are the ones marking your paper so you need to be on the ‘same page’! If you’re going to come up with your own research question don’t leave it too late! - It is important that you break down the question into its component parts. What exactly is it asking? If you’re examining culture, it’s important that you clearly define what culture means; if you are comparing digital zeitgeists with non-digital, it’s important that you actually examine non-digital zeitgeists (and include this in your sample!)  Choose a sample - You will need to compare/contrast several digital zeitgeists no matter which research question you tackle. You may also want to think about the types of zeitgeist sub-categories within each site. - Your sample should have a sufficient amount of information, DO NOT just look at 5 Google Zeitgeist year in review videos! The videos do not sufficiently represent the data (and indeed may focus on things disproportionately because the purpose of the video is different to the zeitgeist more broadly). - As far as a sample is concerned, five is probably the magic number (though if you are choosing the question which compares digital to non-digital it’s important you have an even amount of both, ie 3 each = 6). - People have asked in previous years if their sample should be 5 different years of Google Zeitgeist or 5 different unique zeitgeists. Ultimately this is up to you (both are fine). I think if you looked at Google Zeitgeist from the 5 year span between 2011-2015 for example, you could definitely come up with some interesting findings and analysis (In the past, the best papers have concentrated on 5 different years of Google Zeigeist/Trends by year in light of how they represent culture). Whether you choose to do it this way or choose to look at 1 year of Google zeitgeist and 4 other different zeitgeist websites (or 5 sites other than Google Zeitgiest) it is up to you. - Remember, Google Zeitgeist/Trends by year is static information ie it is information that has already been collected and will not change. If you choose to look at dynamic information, ie 5 days’ worth of Google Hot Trends, it is important that you are consistent (more on this below in the methodology section). - Remember, it is important that you justify why you think a particular site can be considered a digital zeitgeist for the purposes of this activity. Ultimately your sample will also depend on your research question and methodology. You can do this succinctly in one sentence. - You should also strongly consider reflecting your sample in an appendix at the bottom of your document (ie if you are looking at Google Hot Trends, it would be useful to have tables/screenshots of the results for every day of your study – this makes it much easier for your affiliate teacher to verify and reflect on your findings/analysis).  Formulate a methodology - What will you be looking for? How often will you be looking (if you are dealing with dynamic information)? What are your observables? • If you do decide to investigate dynamic information, for example the top Singaporean trends on Twitter, it is important that your methodology accounts for this consistently (ie looking at – and documenting the trends at the exact same time each day for a week, or the exact 3 times a day for five days. This should fit in with your schedule – if you’re not going to be able to check at 12pm every day because of other commitments, don’t choose this time! Perhaps checking at 8pm every night will suit you better for example, or if you have a varied schedule it may be more pragmatic to look at static information like Google Zeitgeist/Trends year in review information). - How will you codify what you have found? • As you look at the information across your sample you will most probably begin to see patterns forming and you should be able to categorise this information, ie ‘celebrity’, ‘sport’ etc. Your methodology should clearly explain how and why you sort and classify information for the purposes of demonstrating your findings and then analysing these in relation to your research question! Are there any limitations to your methodology? Why/why not? There is nothing wrong with identifying limitations to your study, after all this is an assignment that is only being worked on in a limited amount of time, it is not a PhD thesis! You can also demonstrate critical thinking by identifying your studies’ downfalls and perhaps how they could be improved if you undertook a similar study in the future. • If you are looking at Google Zeitgeist/Trends by year, you will notice that the information is displayed differently, it is important to consider this as it may impact on your findings. - The more thought you give your methodology the better your results will be. While your methodology should only be about a paragraph in the suggested format (again below), just because you can’t afford to dedicate too many words to it in your written work, it doesn’t mean you can’t give it good thought! Remember, this is the what/where/when/why section – what are you looking for? Where on the site are you looking for it? How often? Why have you chosen to seek to answer your research question this way? (this list is not exhaustive!!!)  Describe your findings and analyse this in relation to your research question. - If you want you can use headings to demonstrate your findings. Think about this very carefully! It is much better to classify information via patterns you have discovered rather than addressing each of your sample one by one (more on this below). - You should use academic sources to back up your arguments (relative to your research question). More info on academic databases is available on the library website.  Reference your research - It is important that you consistently demonstrate where you have found your information. You can find more information on referencing on the library website. I prefer the footnote method because I think it makes a document easier to read, but you don’t have to use footnotes if you’re not comfortable with this. - There is no magic number as to how many references you should use, but it is definitely quality over quantity. It is better to have 4 or 5 relevant references than 15 irrelevant ones. Your research should include looking at academic references (and not just those that appear in the reader), but you can of course also reference news or magazine articles from Wired for example; documentaries; blogs and forums - - etc. Again, this will partly depend on your research question and methodology. You should reference primary sources only (ie papers, studies, theses) not secondary sources (ie lecture slides). Your assessors know all the tricks of the trade, don’t make up references etc, it’s a form of cheating!  Format - Apart from instructions about clear articulation of your research question, sample and methodology (above), it’s ultimately up to you. It will depend on your sample and what you have found as to the best way to present your piece. People have asked in previous years if they can use headings and can you make up pie charts or graphs? Absolutely! If this helps you classify information and demonstrate trends that occur across 5 years’ worth of Google search data for example, then by all means! You will need to put some thought into how you use this though. Remember, merely describing isn't enough. Don't just use headings for the sake of them. You need to demonstrate critical thinking and analysis! For this reason, talking about each individual zeitgeist 1 by 1 probably isn't a good idea, you would be much wiser to use headings to describe common trends you have found or aberrations that may only exist in 1 years’ worth of data for example. - Please see more info on suggested layout below  Proof read! - It is imperative that you edit/proof-read your work well because 1000 words isn't a lot to play with. Being able to deliver an insightful piece succinctly is a skill that employers love! It can be done but will take work! If you start writing a stream of consciousness piece and stop when you hit about 1000 words you're probably not going to do very well. If you write a first draft that is maybe 1500-2000 words and then you make judgments as to which bits are more important than others, cut down on the repetition and decide which bits you can cut out you'll do much better. - As far as the flexibility with the word count is concerned, please follow the 10% rule (ie going 10% over or under is acceptable). If you go under the word count though you clearly haven’t spent enough time on the exercise. - Any appendices such as lists from Google Zeitgeist for example; charts or tables; and reference lists/bibliography will not count against your word count, however you should not try and evade the word count by placing substantive information in an appendix. Suggested Format Intro – brief paragraph (though may not be necessary) Research Question – 1 sentence. Sample & Methodology – 1 paragraph Findings & Analysis – the vast majority of your paper (approx. 700-850 words) Conclusion – short paragraph summarising your findings with respect to your research question. Introduction: If you like you can write a brief introduction which may define key terms (eg ‘culture’). Remember, academic definitions are generally better than basic dictionary definitions! This may not always be necessary depending on the content of your piece so in some cases you can just start with your research question. Research Question: This only needs to be the research question, so 1 sentence. No need for wasted words like “For my fieldwork activity I will be addressing the research question:...”  there you would have just wasted over 10 words, which in a piece of only 1000 words is golden! Just jump straight into the question eg: “Research Question: What does the phenomenon of digital zeitgeists say about our culture?”. Remember, this is not a hypothesis or a mission statement; it is a simple question that should be answerable based on looking at your sample and then analysing your findings in light of existing literature on the subject. Sample As stated in the instructions in your unit guide/above, here you provide your sample. It shouldn’t be very long at all. Remember it is better to look at 4 or 5 websites in detail than 20 websites superficially. If you like you can present your findings and methodology together. The actual data can be presented as an appendix in a table or as a screenshot (example below). If you like you can also use dot points to show your sample because of the small word count. Eg • Google Zeitgeist 2011 (http://www.googlezeitgeist.com/en/) • Google Zeitgeist 2012 (http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#theworld) • Google Zeitgeist 2013 (http://www.google.com/trends/topcharts?zg=full) • Google Year in Search 2014 (http://www.google.com/trends/2014/) • Google Year in Search 2015 (https://www.google.com/trends/story/2015_GLOBAL) Methodology: As stated in your unit guide, here you should be writing about what you are looking for. Why did you choose the sites you chose? Were you comparing sites from different sub-genres or sites from the same genre? Why? If you were considering dynamic/changing content, how often did you look at the sites? Note your method of analysis and state why you chose to use this/these method(s). This need only be a paragraph or so. Findings & Analysis: This section should be the vast majority/bulk of your paper. Your findings are what you have found in examining your particular sampled websites based on your methodology. No need for academic references here. Analysis then considers your findings based on the arguments you are making relative to your research question. This will be based on what you have found personally in doing your fieldwork, but academic sources should then be used here to help back up/justify your arguments. You may wish to group findings and analysis together for each finding rather than having separate sections. As mentioned above, it is probably better to separate your different findings and provide analysis on them one by one rather than having one big findings section and one big analysis section. Again, it is better to have the 3 or 4 most important findings in detail than superficially try and describe 10 different things you have found. You should use headings, eg: Finding 1: A summary in a few words of what you have found • First go into more detail about what you have personally found on the website; • Then you should apply your outside research to your personal findings. Finding 2: A summary in a few words of what you have found • First go into more detail about what you have personally found on the website; • Then you should apply your outside research to your personal findings. Finding 3: A summary in a few words of what you have found • First go into more detail about what you have personally found on the website; • Then you should apply your outside research to your personal findings. Conclusion: Briefly describe what you have found again by specifically tying it to your research question. This should be a short paragraph. Appendix 1. Google Trends Australia as at 6:30PM 19th August 2015: MCC315 New Media Technologies Fieldwork Assignment Marking Guide Criteria Excellent Structure: • • • • • Style: • • Organisation/Presentation (ie Linear flow of ideas; Use of clear headings etc) Research question (ie Is the research question sufficiently focussed? Is it relevant?) Sample & Methodology (ie Are the sample and methodology clearly described, justified and relevant to the research question?) Length (ie How well has the word limit been observed? Is the piece too long/short?) Referencing (ie Are the sources properly acknowledged? Is there consistent and accurate referencing? Are the sources relevant to the discussion? Has adequate research taken place?) Tone & Expression (ie Is the writing appropriate for academic work? Is the use of English adequate?) Grammar & Punctuation (ie Has the piece been proof-read!?) Content: • • Findings (ie Are the findings described clearly? Has the piece focussed on the most relevant/interesting findings?) Analysis (ie How well are the findings analysed in light of what was found? How well has the piece used the findings to discuss previous studies/academia on the subject?) Preliminary Score (/25): Errors (/2): • - 0.5 marks per error (4 or more errors = 0/2) Final Score (/25): Comments: Good Average Poor Unacceptable
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