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Re: [Air-l] Internet usage patterns of academics and historians
by Irene Berkowitz 14 May '04

14 May '04

The new AoIR Annual may also have some valuable related information. ---- Original message ---- >Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 10:44:02 +0200 >From: "Nentwich, Michael" <mnent(a)oeaw.ac.at> >Subject: Re: [Air-l] Internet usage patterns of academics and historians >To: air-l(a)aoir.org > >> I am doing research for a book about how the Internet can be used as a >> tool to teach about history and to conduct history projects. >> Currently, I am looking for existent research on the Internet usage >> patterns of those interested in history -- professors, students, >> amateur historians, museum enthusiasts, and genealogists. Does >> anyone know of any studies, research projects, articles, websites, >> books, etc. that might be relevant? Leads to any general research >> about Internet usage by professors and other academics would also be >> very helpful. > >You might be interested in my book on cyberscience. It >includes an extensive comparison of the status quo of ICT >use in 13 disciplines, among them history. Btw, in this >comparison, North-American History turned out to be the most >"cyber" of all. Here is the quote: > >Nentwich, M. (2003) Cyberscience: Research in the Age of >the Internet, Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press. >http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/3188-7. > >Best wishes, >Michael > > >*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* >Dr. Michael NENTWICH >Austrian Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Technology >Assessment >A-1030 Vienna, Strohgasse 45/5; Tel. +43 1 51581 >6583 >Fax. +43 1 7109883; mailto:mnent@oeaw.ac.at >Personal homepage: http://eiop.or.at/mn/ >Institute: http://www.oeaw.ac.at/ita/ > >New book: "Cyberscience" >http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/3188-7 > > >_______________________________________________ >Air-l mailing list >Air-l(a)aoir.org >http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l Irene Berkowitz Director of Curricular Publications Temple University Office of the Vice Provost 215-204-7596 Please note my new email address below and update your address records accordingly. irene.berkowitz(a)temple.edu

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DVD-Presentation: EXPERIMENTAL NARRATION - X-PILATION 3
by Benjamin Fischer 14 May '04

14 May '04

English version see below Filmgalerie 451 und Wand 5 e.V. praesentieren ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXPERIMENT ERZAEHLUNG - X-PILATION 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kurzfilme von Mark-Steffen Goewecke, Oliver Husain, Ulrich Koehler, Eva Koennemann, Stanislaw Mucha, Jan Peters, Corinna Schnitt Vorgefuehrt beim Stuttgarter Filmwinter und zusammengestellt von Giovanna Thiery und Ulrich Wegenast Termin & Uhrzeit: 19. Mai, 21 Uhr Ort: TurmForum Stuttgart 21, Ebene 3, im Stuttgarter Bahnhofsturm Nach der grossen Resonanz von X-Pilation 1 - deutscher Experimentalfilm der 80er und 90er Jahre - arbeiten die Filmgalerie 451 und Wand 5 erneut zusammen und veroeffentlichen eine DVD mit narrativen, experimentellen Kurzfilmen und -videos aus Deutschland. Die aktuelle Kompilation umfasst preisgekuerte Kurzfilme, die sich auf unkonventionelle Art und Weise mit dem Thema "Erzaehlung" auseinandersetzen. Das filmische Spektrum reicht von persoenlichen Reflexionen ueber Oral History und Marienerscheinungen bis zu Campy Storytelling ueber Erfolg und Niedergang eines Popduos. Die Narrationsformen sind heterogen. Stehen Reduktion bei Corinna Schnitt und Ulrich Koehler im Vordergrund, schwelgen Oliver Husain und Jan Peters in Bildern und Worten. So vielfaeltig die Erzaehlstile sind, so vielfaeltig sind auch die Aesthetiken und Techniken: Waehrend Jan Peters seinen Diary Film auf Super 8 drehte und ungeschnitten aneinanderreiht, bestehen Schnitts und Koehlers Filme aus einer einzigen, praezise durchkomponierten Kamerafahrt. Oliver Husain kombiniert computergenerierte Kulissen mit Realfilm und kreiert ein besonders kuenstliches Ambiente. Eva Koennemann uebernimmt Computerbefehle, um eine Option filmischer Narration zu suggerieren: Love and Hate im digitalen Zeitalter. Stanislaw Mucha und Mark-Steffen Goewecke widmen sich mit besonderer Hingabe den Erzaehlenden... Eva Koennemann: Null - Eins 1995-96, 9 Min., 16mm (Preis der deutschen Filmkritik fuer Experimentalfilm 1996) Corinna Schnitt: Das schlafende Maedchen 2001, 8:30 Min., 16mm (Norman 2002 beim Stuttgarter Filmwinter) Oliver Husain: Ron & Leo 1999, 12:47 Min., Beta SP (Hessischer Filmpreis 1999) Ulrich Koehler: Rakete 1998, 10 min, 16mm Mark-Steffen Goewecke: L'hotel 1997, 12 Min., 16mm (Preis der deutschen Filmkritik fuer Experimentalfilm 1997) Jan Peters: Aber den Sinn des Lebens hab' ich immer noch nicht rausgefunden 1996, 20 min, Super 8/16mm Stanislaw Mucha: Ein Wunder 1998, 7 Min., Beta SP (Norman 1999 beim Stuttgarter Filmwinter) Ausserdem beinhaltet die DVD Zusatzmaterial der Regisseure sowie die Trailer des Stuttgarter Filmwinter 2000-2004. Bei der Vorfuehrung sind mehrere Regisseure anwesend und Giovanna Th. veranstaltet ein spannendes Quiz! Getraenke kommen von Frau Schreck. Der Eintritt betraegt 5 Euro. Die Herstellung der DVD wurde mit freundlicher Unterstuetzung des Medienteams der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart realisiert. Wir danken dem TurmForum Stuttgart 21 e.V. fuer die Unterstuetzung bei der Premiere. Filmgalerie 451 and Wand 5 present ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXPERIMENTAL NARRATION - X-PILATION 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Venue: TurmForum in the tower of the Stuttgart railway station Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 After the success of X-Pilation 1 (German Experimental Film of the 80s and 90s) Filmgalerie 451 and Wand 5 cooperate once again and publish the DVD with German short films and videos which deal with strategies of narration. The compilation includes award winning short films by Mark-Steffen Goewecke, Oliver Hussain, Ulrich Koehler, Eva Koennemann, Stanislaw Mucha, Jan Peters,and Corinna Schnitt. The programme ranges from oral history and personal reflections to campy story telling and religious visions. For further information please contact the Wand 5 office (wanda(a)wand5.de) The DVD X-Pilation 3 has been realized with the support of the Mediateam of the state capital Stuttgart. Thanks to the TurmForum Stuttgart 21 for supporting the presentation and premiere. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WAND 5 E.V. - ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF FILM AND MEDIA CULTURE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friedrichstr. 23a 70174 Stuttgart Germany Tel.: + 49-711-993398-0 (NEW!) Fax:+ 49-711- 993398-10 (NEW!) email: wanda(a)wand5.de www.wand5.de media-space 04 www.media-space.org October, 22-24, 2004 18th Stuttgart Filmwinter - Festival for Expanded Media www.filmwinter.de Festival: January 13-16, 2005 Warm Up: January 6-12, 2005 -- Benjamin Fischer | http://www.typedown.com/?RDCT=f333b35aa11703108329

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Re: [Air-l] Internet usage patterns of academics and historians
by Nentwich, Michael 14 May '04

14 May '04

> I am doing research for a book about how the Internet can be used as a > tool to teach about history and to conduct history projects. > Currently, I am looking for existent research on the Internet usage > patterns of those interested in history -- professors, students, > amateur historians, museum enthusiasts, and genealogists. Does > anyone know of any studies, research projects, articles, websites, > books, etc. that might be relevant? Leads to any general research > about Internet usage by professors and other academics would also be > very helpful. You might be interested in my book on cyberscience. It includes an extensive comparison of the status quo of ICT use in 13 disciplines, among them history. Btw, in this comparison, North-American History turned out to be the most "cyber" of all. Here is the quote: Nentwich, M. (2003) Cyberscience: Research in the Age of the Internet, Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press. http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/3188-7. Best wishes, Michael *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Dr. Michael NENTWICH Austrian Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Technology Assessment A-1030 Vienna, Strohgasse 45/5; Tel. +43 1 51581 6583 Fax. +43 1 7109883; mailto:mnent@oeaw.ac.at Personal homepage: http://eiop.or.at/mn/ Institute: http://www.oeaw.ac.at/ita/ New book: "Cyberscience" http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/3188-7

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BMJ Article on health related virtual communities / cmc-focus issue
by Carol Perryman 14 May '04

14 May '04

I wonder if you have taken a look at the new BMJ, which has a theme of cmc in healthcare. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/328/7449/1143 and particularly, the following: Health related virtual communities and electronic support groups: systematic review of the effects of online peer to peer interactions. Gunther Eysenbach, John Powell, Marina Englesakis, Carlos Rizo, and Anita Stern. BMJ 2004 328: 1166-0. I don't know if any members of this list are working in the area of healthcare-related cmc, particularly peer-to-peer, but I'd certainly be interested in knowing if that's the case. My work to date has been with a large forum (200,000 members) whose intent is smoking cessation. I'd be very interested to see reactions to this article, which is available full-text through the BMJ website. Carol Perryman Graduate School of Library & Information Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign _________________________________________________________________ Stop worrying about overloading your inbox - get MSN Hotmail Extra Storage! http://join.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200362ave/direct/01/

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Internet usage patterns of academics and historians
by Emily Bliss 12 May '04

12 May '04

I am doing research for a book about how the Internet can be used as a tool to teach about history and to conduct history projects. Currently, I am looking for existent research on the Internet usage patterns of those interested in history -- professors, students, amateur historians, museum enthusiasts, and genealogists. Does anyone know of any studies, research projects, articles, websites, books, etc. that might be relevant? Leads to any general research about Internet usage by professors and other academics would also be very helpful. Thank you so much! Emily Bliss Research Assistant Center for History and New Media George Mason University ebliss(a)gmu.edu

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re:[Air-l] ethics of recording publicly observed interactions
by aoir.z3z＠danah.org 12 May '04

12 May '04

I would like to take a meta-moment about this discussion of ethics. This is a fascinating discussion about ethics. The conversation is happening in the context of this AOIR mailing list. Each post argues points from a previous post. Furthermore, there's an expectation of shared interest in internet research and the language being used implies a shared body of knowledge. Yet, with every post, this conversation is not just unfolding on a mailing list of practitioners. It is going down on the public record of the archived web. I Googled a few of the people on this thread and found that their posts to AOIR showed up in the top 10. Perhaps we should turn the questions we are asking inward for a moment. Is everyone contributing to this thread constructing an argument for the public record? Are your word choices, argument structure and logic the kind of thing that you would publish in journals? It appears to me that, while you might not object to having a public record of these conversations, the language being used is far more conversational, intended for an intimate discussion, not a persistent publication. There are spelling errors, grammar problems and linguistic shortcuts. How would you feel if your peers quoted your words here in publication? Presumably, we are having a debate. In theory, some people might change their minds. Might this challenge your authority in a classroom setting if you try to argue an alternate viewpoint in the future? What about to a tenure committee? What if a journalist quotes your post here as-is as the stance on ethics? Might asking yourself these questions help explain the reasons why the Internet cannot be easily compared to offline scenarios? It's not a matter of being "not in this world" but of the fact that people have different understandings of public/private and that none of us have gotten wholely accustomed to the concept of persistent, searchable data that was constructed under a situation that felt far more like ephemeral conversation. How do you feel about the fact that, in my qualitative methods class, we printed out a series of posts from this discussion for analysis and situated these arguments in the qual methods literature? Was that an audience you were expecting when you crafted your rant? Was it ethical of me to do this? It is easy to dismiss what i'm saying because you probably will never experience any consequences of your posts here. But, i'd urge everyone to be reflexive for a moment. We're all exhibiting the kinds of behaviors that we're studying. Many know it's public and don't care. Some probably didn't realize that this list was publicly archived and searchable by Google. There are hundreds of lurkers on this list whose lack of participation might be connected with this issue. [Personally, i'm in this camp. I have no desire to pretend like i'm in an intimate discussion with my peers knowing that my research struggles and reflections are going down on public, searchable record. There is value to ephemerality.] The whole point of consent is to make certain that no one gets hurt in the making of our research; there are guidelines to reach that goal. The debate that is unfolding is split between reading the letter of the ethics guidelines or the intentions behind it. If we solve that problem, we should all consult judges. In part, people's take on this issue is about justifying their own research decisions. Frankly, this thread is a fascinating example of conversation on the Internet. There are different desired outcomes, different approaches to articulating the ideas, different social norms about addressing others' posts. Go meta for a moment; it's fascinating. danah

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Re: re:[Air-l] ethics of recording publicly observed interactions
by Rod Carveth 12 May '04

12 May '04

Paul, There are three elements of the discussion here. 1) Are online posts to discussion groups, newsgroups, BBSs, etc. de facto "public"? 2) Are those posts *intended* to be public? 3) What *should* an academic do with those posts? It's pretty clear that the posts are public in that they are available via any number of means to Internet users. Are those posts intended to be public? Certainly, they are intended to be public within the discussion forum. And, in countries that have significant experience with the Internet, the vast majority of users realize their posts are public. It's the third question that is tricky. For example, is there informed consent? Can participants' anonymity be insured? Is there any harm that will befall the participants? Anonymity can be insured by eliminating or changing participant names. Is there informed consent? I would argue that the informed consent is implied once the person posts to a public forum. Some may disagree. For me, the most troubling issue is harm to the participant. Obviously, there is no physical harm to the participant, or much potential in the way of psychological harm. But, the issue of privacy is nothing to be trivial about. If, as researchers, we use postings as data, are we, at least indirectly, eroding participants' rights to privacy? Before someone jumps on me for being inconsistent, do I think researchers *can use* postings as data? Yes. *Should* they? At present, I am much more hesitant. Rod Carveth, Associate Professor Department of Communication Rochester Institute of Technology 100 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623 585-429-6127 docrod(a)rit.edu "On the Internet, no one knows if you are a dog, but they do know if you are an ass." >From: "Paul Chenoweth" <chenowethp(a)mail.belmont.edu> >Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org >To: air-l(a)aoir.org >Subject: Re: re:[Air-l] ethics of recording publicly observed interactions >Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 04:45:14 -0500 > >I believe that Dana has struck a nerve. > >The concept of "Googling" a name or concept involves at least two >aspects of this debate. First of all someone (or some 'thing') IS >listening to these debates/conversations on the web as Dana pointed >out. Google, the search engine, along with others similar, is >spidering these conversations, creating an index, and providing a >delivery method for raw data. Although the terminolgy may not be as >academic, Google, in effect is already researching this discussion. >Is that ethical? Does a software program even have 'ethics'? , one >might ask. > >Secondly, regardless of an individual's perception of posting to the >web, unless the site specifically indicates that access to the >information is secure (i.e. password protected), the information IS >public. If there are problems with the perception, then perhaps the >responsibility falls upon the creators/moderators of listserves and >discussion boards to include a statement at the top of each page to >indicate that this is a published/public document. Until Dana's post, >I had not considered the idea that perhaps there is a level of >responsibility of the data collector (Google or a discussion board >moderator) to protect an individual from the same persectives of >IRB's.) > >You may have read this quote ions ago (in tech years) from Scott >McNealy of Sun Microsystems, "You have zero privacy anyway. Get over >it." When applied to the Internet (and even email), I concur. What I >believe we have created is the need for a term that is not as black >and white as 'public' vs 'private' to weigh in on Internet ethics. > >Interesting discussion. >I regress to lurking, > >Paul Chenoweth, Web Developer >Belmont University >615-460-6867 > >"Experience is the thing you have left when everyting else is gone." >Unknown > >----- Original Message ----- >From: aoir.z3z(a)danah.org >Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 1:11 am >Subject: re:[Air-l] ethics of recording publicly observed interactions > > > I would like to take a meta-moment about this discussion of ethics. > > > > This is a fascinating discussion about ethics. The conversation is > > happening in the context of this AOIR mailing list. Each post argues > > points from a previous post. Furthermore, there's an expectation of > > shared interest in internet research and the language being used > > implies a > > shared body of knowledge. > > > > Yet, with every post, this conversation is not just unfolding on a > > mailinglist of practitioners. It is going down on the public > > record of the > > archived web. I Googled a few of the people on this thread and > > found that > > their posts to AOIR showed up in the top 10. > > > > Perhaps we should turn the questions we are asking inward for a > > moment.Is everyone contributing to this thread constructing an > > argument for the > > public record? Are your word choices, argument structure and > > logic the > > kind of thing that you would publish in journals? It appears to > > me that, > > while you might not object to having a public record of these > > conversations, the language being used is far more conversational, > > intended for an intimate discussion, not a persistent publication. > > There > > are spelling errors, grammar problems and linguistic shortcuts. > > How would > > you feel if your peers quoted your words here in publication? > > Presumably,we are having a debate. In theory, some people might > > change their minds. > > Might this challenge your authority in a classroom setting if you > > try to > > argue an alternate viewpoint in the future? What about to a tenure > > committee? What if a journalist quotes your post here as-is as > > the stance > > on ethics? > > > > Might asking yourself these questions help explain the reasons why >the > > Internet cannot be easily compared to offline scenarios? It's not a > > matter of being "not in this world" but of the fact that people have > > different understandings of public/private and that none of us > > have gotten > > wholely accustomed to the concept of persistent, searchable data > > that was > > constructed under a situation that felt far more like ephemeral > > conversation. > > > > How do you feel about the fact that, in my qualitative methods > > class, we > > printed out a series of posts from this discussion for analysis and > > situated these arguments in the qual methods literature? Was that an > > audience you were expecting when you crafted your rant? Was it > > ethical of > > me to do this? > > > > It is easy to dismiss what i'm saying because you probably will never > > experience any consequences of your posts here. But, i'd urge > > everyone to > > be reflexive for a moment. We're all exhibiting the kinds of > > behaviorsthat we're studying. Many know it's public and don't > > care. Some probably > > didn't realize that this list was publicly archived and searchable by > > Google. There are hundreds of lurkers on this list whose lack of > > participation might be connected with this issue. [Personally, > > i'm in > > this camp. I have no desire to pretend like i'm in an intimate > > discussionwith my peers knowing that my research struggles and > > reflections are going > > down on public, searchable record. There is value to ephemerality.] > > > > The whole point of consent is to make certain that no one gets > > hurt in the > > making of our research; there are guidelines to reach that goal. The > > debate that is unfolding is split between reading the letter of > > the ethics > > guidelines or the intentions behind it. If we solve that problem, we > > should all consult judges. In part, people's take on this issue is > > aboutjustifying their own research decisions. > > > > Frankly, this thread is a fascinating example of conversation on the > > Internet. There are different desired outcomes, different > > approaches to > > articulating the ideas, different social norms about addressing > > others'posts. Go meta for a moment; it's fascinating. > > > > danah > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Air-l mailing list > > Air-l(a)aoir.org > > http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l > > > > >_______________________________________________ >Air-l mailing list >Air-l(a)aoir.org >http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l

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Re: re:[Air-l] ethics of recording publicly observed interactions
by Paul Chenoweth 12 May '04

12 May '04

I believe that Dana has struck a nerve. The concept of "Googling" a name or concept involves at least two aspects of this debate. First of all someone (or some 'thing') IS listening to these debates/conversations on the web as Dana pointed out. Google, the search engine, along with others similar, is spidering these conversations, creating an index, and providing a delivery method for raw data. Although the terminolgy may not be as academic, Google, in effect is already researching this discussion. Is that ethical? Does a software program even have 'ethics'? , one might ask. Secondly, regardless of an individual's perception of posting to the web, unless the site specifically indicates that access to the information is secure (i.e. password protected), the information IS public. If there are problems with the perception, then perhaps the responsibility falls upon the creators/moderators of listserves and discussion boards to include a statement at the top of each page to indicate that this is a published/public document. Until Dana's post, I had not considered the idea that perhaps there is a level of responsibility of the data collector (Google or a discussion board moderator) to protect an individual from the same persectives of IRB's.) You may have read this quote ions ago (in tech years) from Scott McNealy of Sun Microsystems, "You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it." When applied to the Internet (and even email), I concur. What I believe we have created is the need for a term that is not as black and white as 'public' vs 'private' to weigh in on Internet ethics. Interesting discussion. I regress to lurking, Paul Chenoweth, Web Developer Belmont University 615-460-6867 "Experience is the thing you have left when everyting else is gone." Unknown ----- Original Message ----- From: aoir.z3z(a)danah.org Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 1:11 am Subject: re:[Air-l] ethics of recording publicly observed interactions > I would like to take a meta-moment about this discussion of ethics. > > This is a fascinating discussion about ethics. The conversation is > happening in the context of this AOIR mailing list. Each post argues > points from a previous post. Furthermore, there's an expectation of > shared interest in internet research and the language being used > implies a > shared body of knowledge. > > Yet, with every post, this conversation is not just unfolding on a > mailinglist of practitioners. It is going down on the public > record of the > archived web. I Googled a few of the people on this thread and > found that > their posts to AOIR showed up in the top 10. > > Perhaps we should turn the questions we are asking inward for a > moment.Is everyone contributing to this thread constructing an > argument for the > public record? Are your word choices, argument structure and > logic the > kind of thing that you would publish in journals? It appears to > me that, > while you might not object to having a public record of these > conversations, the language being used is far more conversational, > intended for an intimate discussion, not a persistent publication. > There > are spelling errors, grammar problems and linguistic shortcuts. > How would > you feel if your peers quoted your words here in publication? > Presumably,we are having a debate. In theory, some people might > change their minds. > Might this challenge your authority in a classroom setting if you > try to > argue an alternate viewpoint in the future? What about to a tenure > committee? What if a journalist quotes your post here as-is as > the stance > on ethics? > > Might asking yourself these questions help explain the reasons why the > Internet cannot be easily compared to offline scenarios? It's not a > matter of being "not in this world" but of the fact that people have > different understandings of public/private and that none of us > have gotten > wholely accustomed to the concept of persistent, searchable data > that was > constructed under a situation that felt far more like ephemeral > conversation. > > How do you feel about the fact that, in my qualitative methods > class, we > printed out a series of posts from this discussion for analysis and > situated these arguments in the qual methods literature? Was that an > audience you were expecting when you crafted your rant? Was it > ethical of > me to do this? > > It is easy to dismiss what i'm saying because you probably will never > experience any consequences of your posts here. But, i'd urge > everyone to > be reflexive for a moment. We're all exhibiting the kinds of > behaviorsthat we're studying. Many know it's public and don't > care. Some probably > didn't realize that this list was publicly archived and searchable by > Google. There are hundreds of lurkers on this list whose lack of > participation might be connected with this issue. [Personally, > i'm in > this camp. I have no desire to pretend like i'm in an intimate > discussionwith my peers knowing that my research struggles and > reflections are going > down on public, searchable record. There is value to ephemerality.] > > The whole point of consent is to make certain that no one gets > hurt in the > making of our research; there are guidelines to reach that goal. The > debate that is unfolding is split between reading the letter of > the ethics > guidelines or the intentions behind it. If we solve that problem, we > should all consult judges. In part, people's take on this issue is > aboutjustifying their own research decisions. > > Frankly, this thread is a fascinating example of conversation on the > Internet. There are different desired outcomes, different > approaches to > articulating the ideas, different social norms about addressing > others'posts. Go meta for a moment; it's fascinating. > > danah > > _______________________________________________ > Air-l mailing list > Air-l(a)aoir.org > http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l >

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re:[Air-l] ethics of recording publicly observed interactions
by Rod Carveth 12 May '04

12 May '04

Eero, It just means that some of us disagree. In a couple years, as the number of Internet users in the U.S. approaches 80%, I think the cultural expectations of postings to a newsgroup being anything but public will generally reach universal acceptance. Until then, I am inclined to agree with Jenny and err on the cautious side. However, it was only about a month ago that the number of Internet users in African reached 1%. Even those 1% don't share the depth of experience about the nuances of the Internet as we do. What would be considered private v. public on the Internet in Africa is far less cut-and-dried. Among my many favorite parts of the movie "Broadcast News" is when the character played by William Hurt is read the riot act by the Holly Hunter for faking a reaction shot during a one-camera interview of a rape victim. "You crossed the line," she screams. He replies, "Well, they keep moving the line." Once upon a time, social scientists could bring in subjects to participate in an experiment where they were duped into believing they had shocked their partner (in reality, a confederate) into submission. We can't conduct studies like that anymore because of concerns over potential emotional harm to subjects. While you can take an absolutist position on ethics and treat those guidelines as non-negotiable, the fact is that what is called ethical -- like what the cultural expectations of public v. private communication -- are constantly up for renegotiation. The line does keep on moving. So, I think it would be unfair to consider you immoral or unethical. The most important thing is to have reasoned discussion about these complex issues. Rod Carveth, Associate Professor Department of Communication Rochester Institute of Technology 100 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623 585-429-6127 docrod(a)rit.edu "On the Internet, no one knows if you are a dog, but they do know if you are an ass." >From: ET <et(a)tarik.com.au> >Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org >To: air-l(a)aoir.org >Subject: re:[Air-l] ethics of recording publicly observed interactions >Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 13:08:58 +0930 > >Rod Carveth wrote... > >"Jenny, I agree with you about the public nature of writing to a newspaper >and the ambiguity of whether or not posting to a newsgroup is public." > >Wow - this is the part that I do not get at all. > >There seems to be an obsession with treating the internet as though it is >some kind of "not in this world" experience. > >The internet is merely another communications form, all it does is remove >the middle man. >To suggest that there is somehow a different process going on with >different moralities and rules is absurd. > >Instead of writing a Letter to the Editor and being at the mercy of the >editors whims a citizen can now chop out the editor and post their views to >the world direct via a newsgroup, or website. >If an individual is stupid enough, or naive(inexperienced) enough to >believe that posting in an open newsgroup forum is somehow a private >communication, then I feel sorry for them but its not my responsibility! > >There is no doubt in my mind that regardless of whether you are published >in the paper, or you self publish in a newsgroup or website, you are indeed >shouting to the world from the rooftops for all to hear. >The number of people listening or the number of people able to listen means >nothing. >You shout - the world is free to listen, and observe and record ! > >Its obvious some do not agree with this, but does this make my viewpoint >immoral or unethical, or does it simply mean that some of us disagree? > > >regards, >Eero Tarik >Adelaide > > > > > > > >_______________________________________________ >Air-l mailing list >Air-l(a)aoir.org >http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l

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re:[Air-l] ethics of recording publicly observed interactions
by ET 11 May '04

11 May '04

Rod Carveth wrote... "Jenny, I agree with you about the public nature of writing to a newspaper and the ambiguity of whether or not posting to a newsgroup is public." Wow - this is the part that I do not get at all. There seems to be an obsession with treating the internet as though it is some kind of "not in this world" experience. The internet is merely another communications form, all it does is remove the middle man. To suggest that there is somehow a different process going on with different moralities and rules is absurd. Instead of writing a Letter to the Editor and being at the mercy of the editors whims a citizen can now chop out the editor and post their views to the world direct via a newsgroup, or website. If an individual is stupid enough, or naive(inexperienced) enough to believe that posting in an open newsgroup forum is somehow a private communication, then I feel sorry for them but its not my responsibility! There is no doubt in my mind that regardless of whether you are published in the paper, or you self publish in a newsgroup or website, you are indeed shouting to the world from the rooftops for all to hear. The number of people listening or the number of people able to listen means nothing. You shout - the world is free to listen, and observe and record ! Its obvious some do not agree with this, but does this make my viewpoint immoral or unethical, or does it simply mean that some of us disagree? regards, Eero Tarik Adelaide

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