Study: Learning to Use Activist Hashtags on Twitter
Purpose of the Study:
The goal of this study is to look at how adults (ages 19+) learn to use hashtags on the social media website Twitter to talk about injustice. Hashtags are a type of keyword used on social media to label or comment on a topic, but the focus of the study will be on specifically “activist hashtags” that might be seen as a call for action or related to injustice, like #WeNeedDiverseBooks or #EndPoverty. Although they are being called “activist hashtags,” they are used by many different kinds of people for many different reasons.
Activist hashtags are becoming common online, but there are few structured opportunities for someone to be taught to use these tools. This study is interested in asking the question: How do we learn the knowledge and skills to use and create activist hashtags? In addition, how do we understand these new digital tools?
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Deirdre Kelly, Professor
Educational Studies
University of British Columbia
Tel: 604-822-3952
Email: deirdre.kelly(at)ubc.ca
Co-investigator:
Megan Ryland, Graduate student
Educational Studies
University of British Columbia
Email: megan.ryland(at)alumni.ubc.ca
Participant Recruitment
Participants are currently being recruited for this study. People are invited to participate in the study who have used activist hashtags and would like to share their experiences. Twitter beginners, amateurs, and experts all have important experience to share for this study. If you are interested in taking part, please contact megan.ryland@alumni.ubc.ca.
Description of Participation:
There are two parts to participation in this study: sharing your Twitter archive and completing an interview. In total, participation time should not exceed 1 hour.
First, you will be asked to download your Twitter archive (your tweet history) and provide a copy to the co-investigator, Megan Ryland. Clear instructions for how to do this will be provided. Twitter archive data will be analyzed to understand how you learned to use activist hashtags over time.
Second, you will be interviewed one-on-one for approximately forty-five minutes via video conference software like Skype or Google Hangouts. The interview will focus on the process of learning to use Twitter and activist hashtags, including questions about the hashtags that you have used on Twitter. However, please note, you will not have to defend or justify your use of particular hashtags. With your permission, the audio of the interviews will be recorded for transcription and analysis by the researcher.
You will have the opportunity to review your contributions to the study prior to its completion to ensure that you feel you have been represented accurately in transcripts.
Confidentiality:
We will ask you to choose a pseudonym (fake name) to be used in the study, rather than your real name or Twitter username, to protect your privacy. Participants will not be identified by their real name or username in the interview transcripts, Twitter archive data, or the completed study. Any references to names of people, organizations, or locations will be deleted or changed to protect the confidentiality of research participants. Your social media archive will not be directly quoted in full within the final study if it can be used to identify specific Twitter users; such data will be included in aggregate. All documents or recordings, including consent forms, will only be stored as electronic files, which will be kept on a password-protected and encrypted hard drive. The study outcomes will include a graduate thesis and a brief summary report, which will be shared with participants.
Potential Benefits and Risks:
You will receive a $25 Amazon gift certificate for taking part in the study and you will have a chance to reflect on their experiences using activist hashtags. Reflection might encourage greater insight into your social media or activist practices. For people invested in social media activism, the final study might provide information about how others learn about social media activism, suggesting resources for their own use. You will experience no known risks from taking part in the study.
During interviews, you are free not to answer any question and/or to stop participation as you see fit. Although the interview does not contain questions specifically targeting sensitive topics or intended to draw out difficult experiences, the researcher can refer you to a counselor or other community resources as necessary.
Study Contact Information:
If you have any questions about this study, feel free to contact Professor Deirdre Kelly at 604-822-3952 or deirdre.kelly@ubc.ca. If you have any concerns or complaints about your rights as a research participant and/or your experiences while participating in this study, contact the Research Participant Complaint Line in the UBC Office of Research Ethics at 604-822-8598 or, if long distance, e-mail RSIL@ors.ubc.ca or call toll free at 1-877-822-8598.
Consent:
Taking part in this study is entirely up to the participant. You have the right to refuse to participate at any time. If you do decide to take part, you may later choose to leave the study if you no longer wish to participate for any reason.