The third artifact demonstrates my ability to consume empirical research and to then develop a stragetic research plan in order to conduct empirical research. In the following example, I discuss the motivation and justification of the research I plan on conducting, while offering a coherent and logical method in order to collect and analyze the data collected.
Social web technology has risen to unprecedented popularity in the Arab world, which gives rise to a host of interesting cultural and communication issues in digital social networking. Much of the scholarship has left the historical contexts and implications of online social networking and independent news media on society largely under-developed.
This research focuses on tracing digital social technologies through the web sphere and their impact on people’s willingness to participate in public discourse, as well as gauging how traditional media is impacted. Activity theory offers a lens through which to discover how tool-mediated communication is utilized and offers a framework to study the motive of the communication and the “problem space.” Situating the new technology and tracing its impact within a cultural frame is the aim of this research. A ‘culture-free’ analysis approach raises problematic assumptions of universality. The role of cultural norms and identity, therefore figure centrally in my research objectives.
Much of the research in this area focuses on the process of liberalization and democratization, but overlooks many of the historical processes and relationships that shape those trends, and thus this research will contribute to a growing field of scholarship and address this gap in the literature.
This study design includes two steps. The first step is to conduct a content analysis of blog posts from Jordan and the purpose of the blog in general. This process will include collecting posts and information that is freely available and public on the Internet. I will analyze the data through well-known and tested content analysis techniques to identify themes that relate to civic participation and political involvement.
The second step will be to conduct interviews triangulate the data collected through the content analysis. I will identify five to seven bloggers and interview them to understand their motivations in blogging. I will interview them for 30-45 minutes, and all subjects will be adults who blog publicly, using their own name. For specific questions, please see attachment.
I will not be asking questions about the Royal Family or about illegal activities. I am not interested in these questions for the interviewee’s safety and these issues are beyond the scope of this research. The data collected in the interview will not be identifiable to the individual person.
