A Primer on Research in Mediated Environments: Reflections on Cybermethodology

Abstract

Recent controversies surrounding the ethics of research on social networks have come at a time when social science research itself is undergoing somewhat of a transformation process. In this paper we consider how the changing technological environment has produced difficulties for lawmakers, and consequently moral decision-making. We attempt to differentiate between human and machine data, and furthermore to situate the researcher in cyberspace, a context which is necessarily both inter- and trans-disciplinary. Fundamentally, our purpose is to encourage scholars of this context to reflect on their biases and prejudices, both in terms of theory and method, prior to engaging in any research which has both a human and technological component.

Keywords: cyberpsychology, cyberspace, internet, ethics, methodology, research, theory