Date post: | 19-Jan-2017 |
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engaging Complexityresearching social media as cultural heritage in the Continuum
:
Synopsis
Continuum Theory
Pluralist methodology
�rounded
heory:
H u m a n /
i n s t i t u t i o n
i n t e r a c t i o n
iscourse
analysis:
Based on
emergent
literature
�ontent
analysis:
Mode of
observation
�ase
studies:
YouTube,
You-sers &
Domain experts
�eflecti�e
practice:
I n t e r p r e t
a c t i o n s o f
s e l f
Case studies1. YouTube user-creators (You-sers)
= storytellers of culture Research problems
How can recorded online,
cultural information in
social media be
understood as evidence of
culture?
How is YouTube
communicated as a
significant cultural
practice?
Continuum theory shows
that there are multiple
ways of generating and
understanding meaning,
particularly in relation to
the recursive relationship
between action and
structure.
Leisa Gibbons, Centre for Organisational and Social Informatics, Monash University
Supervisors: Professor Sue McKemmish, Dr. Frank Upward & Dr. Joanne Evans
A Continuum understanding of social media will
contribute knowledge about containers of online
cultural memory and understandings of how small
stories form part of the narrative of self and memory.
This research will also provide insights into how
individuals define themselves through use of
technology, as well as through particular storytelling
mediums.
The lessons for Archival Science will feed into the
development of frameworks to create, capture,
organise and pluralise evidence of culture.
The future
Continuum theory related to cultural heritage
focuses on the transformation from small story to
metanarrative that takes place over time and space
via the increasing influence of community
interaction, repetition and power. The viewpoint of
the model is one of recorded culture and the
formation of traditions and systems of heritage.
Content analysis
was used to
determine how to
choose the You-sers
(units of analysis)
by gaining an
understanding of
the different types
of videos.
Domain experts come from
various disciplines, such as
cultural and media studies,
anthropology and information
science. Data has been
collected via semi-structured
interviews and will be analysed
using Grounded Theory
techniques.
Emergent literature
The term ‘emergent
literature’ is used to
describe the ‘coming into
existence’ of a discourse.
Emergent literature can
be found in various
formats, such as
academic papers and
conferences, as well as
blogs, videos and
webinars. Data sampled
from these sources will be
analysed using discourse
analysis techniques.
ReferencesGibbons, L. (2009). Testing the Continuum: user-generated cultural heritage
on Youtube. Archives & Manuscripts. 37 (2). pp. 89-112
*Lock, A., & Strong, T. (2010). Social Constructionism : Sources and Stirrings in
Theory and Practice. Cambridge University Press.
Upward, F. (2005). Continuum mechanics and memory banks [Series of parts]:
Part 1: Multi-polarity. Archives and Manuscripts, 33(1), 84-109.
Upward, F. (2005). Continuum mechanics and memory banks [Series of two
parts] Part 2: The making of culture. Archives and Manuscripts, 33(2), 18-51.
What tools are required to
develop a research project
based on continuum
principals?
How and why do
YouTube users/creators
do what they do?
In an ever changing digital world there is a growing realisation that many small
things can make up the larger social and cultural whole.
Social media allows almost anyone to create and share content online. Individuals who contribute
their small stories directly participate in online culture, providing content for an exponentially
expanding collection of data, information and knowledge. Traditional forms of moving image, such
as film and TV, have influenced the formats, content and look of how small stories are being told,
particularly on Youtube. Formats and styles from social media have in turn, influenced traditional
mass media genres and content.
As a continuum theorist, I question how these small stories might fit into the world of cultural
heritage? In what contexts can these stories be understood? I wonder if there is some way to
understand cultural heritage as it is being made? Rather than look at how archivists deal with
social media from within established institutional practices, I want to investigate YouTube from a
continuum perspective to develop an understanding of the ‘archive’ and the ‘record’.
2. Domain experts
= signifiers of culture
You-sers were selected from the
Australian Youtube website.
Data was collected via semi-
structured interviews and were
interviewed and was analysed
using Grounded Theory
techniques.
How can recorded online,
cultural information in
social media be
understood using
continuum principles?