The first speaker of the day was Kandy Woodfield, who really inspired me to think about ethics in a new way. Social media blurs the boundaries of ethical approval and causes a multitude of challenges. Although it could be argued that digital data in a public space, such as Twitter, is 'fair game', Kandy believes there is a moral obligation to gain informed consent (which I wholeheartedly agree with). As she stated 'Just because it's possible, it doesn't mean it's ethical'. The current framework for digital data collection is not adequate, drawing upon face-to-face methods with have an entirely different set of unique challenges. A new framework is needed to stop us from using 'an analogue ethics framework for a digital world'. Issues such as difficulties of anonymity, researcher transparency and credibility were also taken into consideration.
Next, Professor Richard McClatchey spoke about ethics in big data medical applications, including projects such as the MammoGRID; a network of mammogram scans from doctors all across the UK to compare and assist with diagnosis. To put this into perspective, you'd need a stack of CD's the size of the Eiffel Tower to store this information. This was applied to several different grids focusing on different health issues such as child paediatrics and neurological decline. Several data issues were raised including who owns the data and how to ensure patient anonymity. However, despite the clear ethical challenges, this research shows how useful digital data can be in our research.
Finally, two PhD students presented their ongoing work, which relies highly on social media and digital data. Josh Jarrett is looking into on-line gaming which involves data collection through forums such as Reddit and in-game observations. Jarrett highlighted the importance of transparency in this research but also immersing himself in the culture of the games he studied. Also, in environments such as these, conversation may easily turn hostile so it's important for the researcher to consider how to protect themselves in the process. The second PhD student, Milena Popova, is exploring fan-fiction and felt that she had 'more questions than answers' with regards to ethics. In my opinion, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It shows, as scientists, we are questioning and being thorough in every aspect of our research. Popova considered the anonymity of her participants as highly important and also stated 'I'm accountable for the community I'm researching', respecting the norms and the values of the online culture.
Overall, a fascinating day with vibrant presentations, sending me away with a new perspective on ethical approval in the digital age. I continue to view ethics, not as a boundary to research aims, but an integral part of the research process.
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