[Last modified: October, 6 2024 08:27 PM]
Topic: Explore the reasons and phenomena of “REAL me”, “SIMILAR me”, “DIFFERENT me” and “FALSE me” in digital platforms such as INS among Chinese international students
Why it could be interesting: Before arriving in the UK, I added some online friends and students of UCL through digital platforms such as INS and XIAOHONGSHU( one popular app in China). When I saw their posts and photos in their profile and posts, I just was surprised at how fabulous and beautiful they were. What is more interesting, the photos and posts they showed have more cultural implications such as status, salary, career, appearance, and hobbies.
However, I realized they were very similar or totally different when I saw them actually, which made me very interested in and want to know the reasons, implications, and consequences behind it.
Method: Participant observation, Immersion in cultural reality, and interviews by taking photos and audio recordings.
Pay attention to writing detailed, dated observations, building rapport, using interviews to capture participants’ voices, and avoiding potential problems with ethics.
Question: it totally depends on the period and may have some changes due to the interview and conversation.
With participants
Period 1:
Q1: what digital platforms do you usually use to share your life experiences?
Q2: Do you think is there any difference between popular digital platforms such as INS and Facebook?
Q3: What do you usually share on that social media or digital platform? How often?
Period 2:
Q1: What emotions and feelings do you have when people comment and like your post? And what are your expectations about their interaction?
Q2: Do you like to share your post with your friends and classmates?
Q3: Can you give me some descriptions of your post?
Period 3:
Q1: What styles and even some digital identities do you think you have created in your social media?
Q2: Do you think your friends have detected or determined that style and digital identity?
Q3: Is that style relevant or similar to your daily life or routine?
With some friends of participants
Period 1:
Q1: What digital platforms do your friend usually use to share his/her life experiences?
Q2: What does your friend usually share on that social media or digital platform? How often?
Period2:
Q1: What emotions and feelings do you have when you comment and like the posts of your friend?
Q2: Can you give me some descriptions of the posts of your friend?
Period 3:
Q1: What styles and even some digital identities do you think your friends have created in his or her social media?
Q2: Is that style relevant or similar to his or her daily life or routine?
Potential findings: it could be two different findings based on two digital identities participants create.
Digital identity1: Very similar me
Those who created this type of digital identity may just want to share their daily lives and experiences. Or just want their online friends or family members who are not with them currently to know their current circumstances and conditions.
Digital identity: Fake me ( including very fake or light fake)
The reason for this could be connected with some feelings about hypocrisy, envy, and even some fear. For example, if they pretended not to be that, they would lose the feeling of safety and happiness. They may not accept that they are not perfect or not the people they aspire to become.