Research seminar: Doing Media Ethnography
Dr John Postill
Doing Media Ethnography
Research seminar to the Doctoral Programme
IN3, Open University of Catalonia
Media-TIC building, nr Glories
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
10.30-12.00
In this seminar I draw from my previous research in Malaysia and ongoing research in Barcelona to explore the ethnographic study of media. I pay particular attention to the importance of carefully choosing the ethnographic research methods (e.g. participant observation, time diaries, semi-structured interviews, biographies of things) that will best suit a given research project. This is seldom easy, as the ethnographic research process is typically exploratory, open-ended and subject to sudden rethinks. Moreover, the rapid pace of technological change and growing diversification of the mediascape make it increasingly hard – if not impossible – to delimit one’s object of study around one or two discrete media. Two golden rules of ethnographic research are: “If it matters to my research participants, then it matters to me” and “Follow the locals, but remember that sometimes they may lose their way, too”. The session will start with a presentation of the key issues and this will be followed by a discussion and class exercise that connects with doctoral students’ own interests and experience. As a thought experiment, students are asked to come to the session having prepared a two-minute presentation of a media research project they would develop if this were their research area.
Will this seminar be available via webcast? Sounds great!
Thanks Claire. On second thoughts, it may be actually be webcast, I’m not sure – if it is I´ll announce it here and via twitter, @johnpostill
Any chance of this being available to any extent online?
Hi lmighton, I hope to be able to post at least my presentations points, and if I find the time some quick notes on how the session went.
Hi John, I just discovered your blog via a MeCSSA email relating to your new book (which I will purchase). Would your deck of slides be available somewhere (say Slideshare?) Will also connect with you via email as there are parallels with my ethnographic research in Malta.
Hi Alex
Many thanks for your note. In the end I opted for an oral presentation with no slides and prepared a handout instead. I’ve put those notes here: http://johnpostill.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/media-ethnography-seminar/
Yes, do tell me more about your Malta research!
John