[Last modified: October, 14 2024 05:16 PM]
- Introduction
- Previously studied business in Canada
- Currently in MSc in Digital Anthropology
- Social media, mental health, isolation and community, particularly for young people (<25)
- Pilot research project
- Want to explore everyday use of devices, especially smartphones and wearable technology, and how they play a role in human interactions (or lack of)
- I’m interested in understanding how to foster a greater sense of human connection between peers and strangers
- It’s anthropological because it focuses less on the devices themselves and more about how people use them to escape or lean on during social interactions
- Research questions
- How is technology used or embedded in group interactions between friends, peers and strangers? In what ways does it appear pro-social and anti-social?
- How is technology used by individuals who are alone in public spaces? What is driving their behaviour?
- In what contexts is technology helpful and effective versus escapist?
- Research approach
- I can conduct this research in a myriad of public spaces which typically promote social behaviour, such as cafés, parks, pubs, bars and restaurants
- I would like to take a mixed approach by both observing groups and individuals in public spaces to see 1) whether they are using technology in that space 2) which devices and 3) how is it being used
- I would also like to follow up with interviews to understand their relationship to technology and public spaces, what they hope to ‘accomplish’ when in a public space and whether they are satisfied with their experience – this may be harder to do when approaching groups of people