This past Friday was full of lots of ups and downs. To begin with, we ran out data collection for Social Psychology. For our experiment, we conducted 48 interviews. All of our participants were recruited from the Reynolds Club, the closest thing to a Student Union, here on campus.

This is my group: Andrea, Shewta, Eric.

This is one of the essays that we had people read. The crucial thing in all of this is the picture. Some had Jordan (this rather punky picture), others had Irene (more conservative) and some had no picture.

Here I am with my researcher face on.

48 surveys… Rock On! Of course now its time for data entry… bleh

On the downside, I had my car vandalized. Some jerk bashed in my driver’s window. Strangely nothing was stolen. Even more strangely I would have felt better if something was. Having an item stolen would have provided me with a sense that there was a purpose to the attack on my poor Subaru. Thankfully I was able to get the window fixed on Saturday. Here’s a shot of the car-nage

Tomorrow this begins in earnest. The goal of this blog is for me to situate and theorize on publicly sharable headnotes and fieldnotes over the course of my research.

I’m also going to capture research issues pertaining directly and indirectly to “cyber-anthrology” (and I promise that will be the last time I use that phrase.

I cannot stess how accurate this webcomic is. Welcome to my fieldwork.

Sorry for the lack of posting. Underwater does not describe my life right now. I’m through one midterm and trying to wrap on two articles. Plus I’m about to launch a second blog (Wait… did he just say second blog???!!! It will all make sense soon).

Plus things are going to get more visual now that I have a digital camera. So as a hold over I present a visual story I call grabbing a hotdog on the way back from the airport!

a substantial update is coming soon.

the short short is that the presentation went well. I’m buried in work and research.

I’ll have more to share soon.

btw… you no longer have to be a blogger member to leave comments with a name.

- Matt

So my propsal goes up against the wall tonight. Calling it a defense is a bit of hyperbole. However, the way these group meetings go it can get pretty hairy. Either way I expect to walk out with a number of holes blown through it.

So I plan to allow alcohol to help mediate the stress. We’re going out for a drink with the head of the program after this week.

For thoses interested, here is the abstract from my thesis proposal. I’m still working to develop it and I need to get it to my group ASAP. But it’s finally coming together.

Over the last fifteen years tethered digital video cameras, commonly referred to as webcams, have transitioned from primarily one to many broadcast devices to peer to peer communication instruments. Today people across the globe use webcams, in conjunction with internet chat software, as tools for establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. This shift in function has gone largely unexamined by both media outlets and researchers studying computer mediated communications (CMC). Of the analysis that is undertaken, much is based on folk biases and dubious research ideologies which rely upon an implicit relationship between technology and performance. Simply put the reason that either webcams cause people to become exhibitionists or only exhibitionists utilize webcams. Through a variety of methods, including historical research, ethnographic interviewing, and semiotic analysis, I intend to disprove such reductionist theories and present an alternative model for how webcams and a variety of other social factors mediate online interactions. The process I undertake will present methods for better applying social science tools to the field of CMC.

I’ve passed the halfway point. The chime of midnight, this past Friday, marked the official halfway point of the MAPSS program. Approximately 15 weeks down. 15 more to go. This has caused its share of hyperventilating. Still, if there is anything that I’ve learned, it’s when the going gets tough, the tough go upstairs and listen to Bon Jovi¹.

I will present my thesis proposal this Thursday. So, within the next few days I’ll publish my abstract to the blog. Hopefully this will clarify all the webcamming.

Here’s other news in brief:

• I thought Zatôichi is a great film. Conversely I was underwhelmed by Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.

• Ossie Davis died. I’m planning on watching Bubbah Ho Tep, which strangely didn’t make onto his CV in his obits, as a tribute.
• Went to an awesome Cultural Arts Center/Bar/Performing Space on Friday night called The Hot House. If you’re in Chicago and enjoy Latin/World Music/Afro Pop you need to check this place out.

¹- This is an inside joke that only three readers of this blog are going to get. But they are three very important readers.