[Last modified: October, 24 2024 04:56 PM]
In reflecting on my position in relation to my research question, I recognise the importance of my own background and experience in shaping the perspective from which I undertook this research. As someone who has worked extensively in the fields of digital marketing and visual design, I incorporated the perspective I wanted to analyse. This professional experience provided valuable insights but also introduced potential biases into my ethnographic study.
In this research, I am not just an observer of consumer behaviour, I am embedded in the very system I wish to critique. My work as an academic and practitioner involves creating visual strategies designed to influence consumer choices, which makes it crucial to reflect on how I may have inadvertently reinforced dominant consumerist ideologies. This has led me to think about the ethical implications of studying and utilising visual culture to drive consumption. Am I criticising the system or am I complicit in maintaining it?
Readings on decolonising anthropology and reflexivity have encouraged me to think deeply about how my research is not conducted in isolation. Faye Harrison’s work on the politics of knowledge production reminded me that research methods are never neutral – they reflect the power structures in which they develop. As a researcher deeply involved in digital marketing, I had to be careful about how my own biases might influence the way I designed and interpreted this research.
One change I considered in my research design was to incorporate a more collaborative approach, working with consumers from different cultural backgrounds to co-create research questions and interpret findings. As Veena Das and Michael Jackson suggest, paying close attention to the voices and experiences of participants can help avoid reducing them to mere data points.
By critically acknowledging my position, I aim to balance my internal perspective with a deeper, culturally contextualised understanding of consumer behaviour. This reflexive approach will help to ensure that my research not only reflects consumerist ideology, but also the underlying cultural connotations.