TECHNOLOGY IS THE PROBLEM
There were days where direct human interactions were considered as the lightest and gave a feel-good vibe without having to carry the burden of being judged and misinterpreted without one’s knowledge in contrast to the virtual world. The time without digital gadgets proved that people had a clear mind on the objectives and goals, sans any addiction, not worrying about gaining too much or too little information. Recording experiences from the people who experienced the highs and lows give us information on how different interpretations and assumptions can either lead to advantages to use the technology in the right way, or face the dangerous consequences if not used in the right way.
This project is done for the Digital Ethnography Research Centre at RMIT, Melbourne, which focuses on research areas like Digital Ethnography, Marketing and Advertising and Media and Communication. It interprets through concepts like anthropology and observing the behaviors as a participant- through how they exactly experience and authentically perceive it.
DIGITAL ETHNOGRAPHY
The origin of ethnography is dates back to decades ago. Ethnography’s origin was in the travels of anthropologists to study ethnic cultures and claimed to produce ‘true’ descriptions of cultures and communities –in particular remote native ethnic tribes .Today ethnography includes studies of organizational lives and contemporary cultures, and aims to stimulate conversation and broaden multidisciplinary communities.
Understanding ethnography became easier with methods and tools used to study behavioral observations. It evolved and became convenient by gathering information through virtual means, also called as virtual/cyber/online ethnography.
Ethnography can be useful in the context of the following factors - sense of freedom, capturing our daily lifestyles/ routines in our truest and authentic forms., reducing time consumption
There were issues related to the dilemma in between changing the approach and promoting the approach.
The advantages were in promoting the strategic approach smartly through highest usage of social media as they are the in-thing in today’s rise of human interaction digitally.
They help in forwarding information to people who are absolutely not/ partially aware of the ethnography through a medium that is easily available to the user and to create and spread awareness
A FEW PRACTICAL ISSUES
- No control on the timelines
- Misinterpreting communication
- False narratives
- Watching facebook stories that can be offensive
- Stalking of private photographs and personal accounts
- Subconsciously and indirectly promoting narcissism and ego
- Mental health taking a negative direction
- Taking away cultural integrity
- Being unknown of the virtual but dangerous circumstances
- Not being careful of the content and consequences of what one posts on their facebook wall/page/feed
- Being emotionally connected to the virtual world is getting difficult/tough to let go of that connection, attracted to the beautified but non-real versions of people.
- Bad mental and psychological effects
- Tough to balance out between the virtual world and reality
Ethnography is the study of human behavior within a culture
- An ethnographer SEES, RECORDS, ANALYZE, CITES the surrounding where he is a part of it.
- Observing the Chaos in Human Behavior
- They observe the patterns and find the HIDDEN OBVIOUS
- Redesign or Re-create if necessary.
- Observing the Chaos in Human Behavior
- They observe the patterns and find the HIDDEN OBVIOUS
- Redesign or Re-create if necessary.
