New Media Communication Class Final Project - Essay Example

New Media Communication Final Project My new media communication final project will address Project 2 that discusses ethnography. The ethnography will include a detailed description of a specific community, student room online community. Online ethnography will define the customs of this community. The project will include my participation as a member of the student room online community. The project will consequently detail the accounts of my observations derived from my regular participation and note taking in the community. The overall goal will be to establish the significance of online ethnography and theories of computer-mediated communication in defining communication in online communities. As such, I will analyze my notes and classify them into various categories that define their significance. Consequently, I will conduct relevant research on other examples of online ethnography and theories of computer-mediated communication prior to interpreting my notes. The research will help me to develop an opinion on the importance of online ethnography and theories of computer-mediated communication (Walther 443) and define communication in online communities (Garcia et al. 54-55). Ideally, we can refer to the online community as a virtual community that infiltrates our real life (Rheingold 1). Student room is an online community established in 2001 that promotes community and social learning among students and institutions. The online community connects students across the globe, allows young people to present their views, and helps them to prosper and make effective career and education choices. With over 500,000 posts per month and over 1.5 million members, the student room is the most dominant and diverse student community in the globe (Autism Education Trust 1). Indeed, the members of the student room online community originate from different cultures and address academic, health, and social issues (Autism Education Trust 1). Subject to the adopted simple platform, student room encourages new members to join and fosters interactions between members of different cultures. With the growth in mobile telephony, online ethnography and theories of computer-mediated communication will continue to define communication in online communities. Notably, online ethnography will define the customs of the student room online community. Ideally, ethnography refers to a detailed analysis of the social and cultural aspects of a specific group (Koning and Ooi 19). As such, online ethnography involves the adoption of relevant online research methods that rely on ethnographic methods to investigate the cultures of an online community through online social interactions (Walther 444). Online ethnography will focus on human experience in the context of student room online community by examining the drivers of online community user participation (Zhou 70). Ethnographers will carry out the cultural analysis through listening, observations, physical interactions, collaborations, reflections, and online interactions on the internet and student room online community (Koning and Ooi 20). Specifically, observations and online interactions with the members of this online community will allow online ethnography to define the customs of the student room online community (W5 3). In using observations, the ethnographer will be a “lurker” in student room online community but will not participate in online conversations (W5 3). In using online interactions, the ethnographer will be part of the online community and participate in direct interactions with the members of the community (W5 3). Online interactions will help in presenting the cultural overlaps while observations will establish various aspects that define the customs of the student room online community. Students from diverse cultural backgrounds across the globe form this online community where they discuss their issues. Notably, the online ethnography will define the formation of student room online community and the interaction tools used within the community. The language of communication will also suffice in the online ethnography, which helps in identifying the members (W5 3). Hence, online ethnography will define the cultural diversity in student room online community. Having joined the student room online community, I participated as a member of the online community where I observed the most significant details and established direct interactions with other students across the globe. Being, the most dominant and diverse student community in the globe, I had the opportunity to interact and study other students from different cultures. My membership enabled me to discuss academic, health, and social issues as well as define the customs of the student room online community. I was more than a “lurker” since I was an active participant who assumed the role of the ethnographer in this context. I started posting and commenting on other members’ posts. Since the membership was free, and many students can access the internet, many students continue to join the dominant online community that addresses student’s needs. My main aim was to witness the operations of this online community and define its customs from a social perspective. As a member of the student room online community, I was keen on observing the flow of information and spread of ideas in the community’s website. The simple platform encouraged new members to join the community and helped me to follow the interactions between members of different cultures. My participation equally enabled me to understand how specific members gained credibility in the online community, which was fundamental in driving the values that student room online community adores. Additionally, through my participation, I understood the social, cultural, and academic connections between specific members in a virtual platform. The participation equally derived the language, emotions, and dominant ideas depicted by the members. I also observed and witnessed the attitudes, perceptions held by the students towards specific products in virtual and physical platforms. My observations defined the formation of the student room and communication tools used in the community. Furthermore, my online interactions within this community and other online communities helped me to establish the cultural differences between various online communities. Ideally, my regular participation and note taking in a student room online community defined a detailed account of my observations. In carrying out online ethnography in this community, I made a cultural entrance to the online community with the aim of making observations on the community’s customs (Skageby 411). My observation entailed technologically mediated behaviors. I visited the student room website to follow the text messages, posts, and social interactions on the social networking website. However, I had to adjust my participation observation approach since I could not establish physical interactions with the members that I was studying. The changes in the nature of my observations and the significance of the field notes defined the role of online ethnography in this context. I watched the text messages, posts, images, and social interactions on my laptop. Ideally, I was a “participant experiencer” since I played an important role to student room where I posted and read messages on the community’s website (Garcia et al. 58). Indeed, I was more of a “participant experiencer” than a “participant observer” since I could not see the other members of student room online community (Garcia et al. 58). Moreover, I had personal experience with the topics discussed by the group. For instance, the members were discussing sex, sexuality, careers, entertainment, and relationships, which were not new to me. I displayed cultural competence of the customs of student room online community that enabled me to access relevant information about this online community (Garcia et al. 60). For example, I realized that posting messages about politics, gender, online degrees, and cultural identity attracted negative comments from most members of this online community. On the other, postings about sexuality, relationships, career development, and entertainment attracted positive comments. I managed to retrieve textual data that included instant messaging, social networking websites, and live chats from my participation. The textual data helped in establishing the flow of information and distribution of ideas relating to social, academic, and cultural issues in the community. The textual data also derived an understanding on how members gained credibility, which defined the cultural values held by the online community. I collected information on language, slang terms, emoticons, and symbols used by the members of the community (Garcia et al. 61). Notably, personal participation enabled me to derive an authentic experience of the community since I experienced the online community just like the other members. In recording my observations, I had to consider the nature of online data since it was mostly textual and visual content. The consideration prompted me to adopt different skills for understanding and analyzing the visual content. Clearly, the online ethnography favored text-based data derived from text messages, posts, and social interactions on the student room website. I took field notes of Web site postings and social interactions on the social networking website. The use of modern technologies enhanced my capacity to record the record the Web site postings, interactions, and locations of the members. My field notes depict fundamental information on the identity, customs, and views of the student room online community. I managed to trace the attitudes and perceptions of the community towards various debates and products used by the students or the youth. However, the field notes could not substitute my personal experience through the online interactions (Garcia et al. 62). In fact, I even used tape recorders and cameras to record my experience on the community’s Web site. Nevertheless, the field notes played a fundamental part of defining and developing online ethnography theories from the observations. In analyzing my notes, it is necessary to classify them into categories that reflect their significance. I used modern technologies to take the notes on Web site postings, text messaging, interactions, and locations of the members. My field notes also included information on the credibility, identity, customs, views, cultural values held by the online community. Additionally, they included information on the language, slang terms, emoticons, and symbols used by the members of the community. Indeed, the notes defined the formation of the community and communication tools used in the community. We also have cultural notes that include notes on the norms, identity, customs, cultural values, and language used in the online community. Other notes are academic and include views on career issues. Other notes are social and include the slang terms, credibility, communication tools, emoticons, and symbols used by the members of the community. Ideally, online ethnography and theories of computer-mediated communication would help in interpreting my notes. The online ethnography and theories of computer-mediated communication derives trustworthy interpretations of the collected data (Skageby 411). In online ethnography, participants express their feelings freely. However, in presenting and analyzing my notes, I should consider describing all the behaviors, feelings, and observations that are relevant to communication in this online community. The descriptions should be detailed and relevant to the online community. In this context, the online ethnography study entails various elements like taking notes, images, and digital pictures. Indeed, the digital pictures and field notes provide fundamental information on the Web site postings, text messaging, interactions, and locations of the members of student room online community. Notably, online ethnography will help the audience to gain more understanding on behaviors of members of this online community. Researchers in online ethnography face numerous challenges in making decisions on how to represent observational data and field notes to the audience. The challenge emanates from the fact that ethnographers are seeking communicate the observational data and field notes to an audience that lacks adequate knowledge on computer-mediated communication (Tuncalp and Patrick 60). Indeed, in presenting the notes, ethnographers must interpret and provide detailed visual, aural, and kinetic observational data verbally. However, online ethnography and theories of computer-mediated communication define better ways of collecting, analyzing notes, and communicating the results of the analysis. Theories of computer-mediated communication assert that as a participant, I should report the notes to the audience without editing, formatting, or paraphrasing the original notes. As such, I should present the notes to the reader in their original format. Moreover, theories of computer-mediated communication cause numerous changes in the mode of communication and influence social networks (University of Twente 1). Moreover, research confirms that the computer-mediated communication differs with face-to-face communication (University of Twente 1). I need to consider these aspects while interpreting my notes. Clearly, the textual data helped in establishing the flow of information and distribution of ideas relating to social, academic, and cultural issues in the community. The textual data also derived an understanding on how members gained credibility to communicate. My observations defined the communication tools used in student room online community. As such, it is clear that online ethnography and theories of computer-mediated communication define communication in student room online community. Works Cited Autism Education Trust. Education Committee launches online forum to consult young people, 2014.Web. 11 November 2014. Garcia, Angela Cora, Alecea I. Standlee, Jennifer Bechkoff, and Yan Cui. “Ethnographic Approaches to the Internet and Computer-Mediated Communication.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 38.1 (February 2009): 52-84. Print. Koning, Juliette, and Can-Seng Ooi. "Awkward Encounters and Ethnography." Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management 8.1 (2013): 16-32. ProQuest. Web. 11 November 2014. Rheingold, Howard. The Virtual Community, Intro & Ch. 1, 1993. Web. 11 November 2014. Skageby, Jorgen. Online Ethnographic Methods: Towards a Qualitative Understanding of Virtual Community Practices, 2011. Web. 11 November 2014. Tunçalp, Deniz, and Patrick Lê L. "(Re)Locating Boundaries: A Systematic Review of Online Ethnography." Journal of Organizational Ethnography 3.1 (2014): 59-79. ProQuest. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. University of Twente. Computer mediated communication, 14 October 2014. Web. 11 November 2014. W5. W5 on Online Ethnography, July 2011. Web. 11 November 2014. Walther, Joseph B. Theories of Computer Mediated Communication and Interpersonal Relations, n.d. Web. 11 November 2014. Zhou, Tao. "Understanding Online Community User Participation: A Social Influence Perspective." Internet Research 21.1 (2011): 67-81. ProQuest. Web. 11 November 2014. Read More