Questions méthodologiques / Methodological questions

Beskrivelse

The points raised revolved around the following questions:
• What is the potential theoretical contribution of the notion of "communication ecology" to analyze the flow of information between different forms of media and various actors from various "social strata"?
- It emerged from the debates that this notion would make it possible to identify both focused nexuses between precise affordances, specific actors and their motivations / interests on the one hand and, on the other, to analyze the interdependence of an identified nexus of focus with other points of convergence. Furthermore, the notion refers to the importance of the setting or context in which these communications are produced and interpreted.


• How to generate valid empirical data in a rigorous way when the researcher cannot go to the field? What would be the methodological advantages and weaknesses of delegating work to resource persons, informants or friendly or professional contacts in the social environment that is the scene of the research?

- The debates confirmed the pertinence of particularly one of the aspects of communication ecology and that was the point that the researcher is part of this ecology. This approach is compatible with a theory derived from field data (or “grounded theory”). From such a perspective favoring the point of view of the actors, we can consider that the concepts from the studied environment (or emic concepts) can help us to think about security and insecurity in an alternative way.
But it should be remembered that the study of communications through networks and social media runs a high risk of getting unknowingly stuck in a “clique” or “echo-chamber”, (encliquage in Fr) so that the researcher is locked into a homogeneous network which does not promote the diversity of perspectives. It is important that the researcher diversifies his contacts and networks so as to cover the multiplicity of social groups and economic and political interests. Such diversity may be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve in insecure contexts where mechanisms of social control are established between members of a community, where controlling those who speak with people from outside of the community in question is pervasive. Participants also discussed the emergence of "conspiracy theories" and whether this notion is relevant or not in the Sahelian context.

Periode	5 jan. 2021 → 6 jan. 2021
Begivenhedstype	Seminar
Grad af anerkendelse	International