Research For/by Design Pt. II

For part II of our group project, we were required to identify our stakeholders and conduct research on topics we wanted further information on. Our group identified that our stakeholders were:

• Social media companies (Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc.)
• Social media users (account holders, daily users, celebrities, brands, government officials)
• Monetizers, advertisers, influencers, etc.

We then chose two research methods that we felt would best help us explore the different platforms and their corresponding affordances: observational studies and a survey.

I chose to take a hand-on approach with our observational studies, particularly looking into some alternative forms of social media. The two platforms that I chose to explore were Blind and Clubhouse. Other members of our group decided to explore platforms that they had never used before, such as Reddit and TikTok. During Tuesday’s class, we collaborated on coming up with some questions to ask on our survey.

I think that all in all we are starting to choose a real direction for our project. We have been observing and analyzing the different features and affordances of the distinct social media platforms, identifying the things that users particularly enjoy about certain platforms. In my observational study, I was able to explore some of the reasons why users may not be opting for less mainstream forms of social media.

It was interesting to approach social media from a research standpoint rather than for personal use, as I am used to. I definitely allowed me to identify things that would have potentially gone over my head had I signed on to these platforms for my own purposes.

It was also interesting to explore the variety of forms that a social media platform can come in. There are video only apps like TikTok, text dominant apps like Reddit, and apps that provide the best aspects of other platforms all in one place (Facebook, Instagram). The platforms that are capable of combining the features that users enjoy are the ones that are most successful in the space.

One thing that I found interesting about our survey results was the response that people had to the question “What emotions do you experience using social media?” The majority of users chose “Happiness”, with “Inspiration” coming in at a close second. This was surprising to me, because nowadays we are constantly hearing about the negative effects that social media can have. We hear so much about how harmful these platforms can be, yet most people associate social media with positive feelings.

I don’t think that this automatically negates the research we did for part 1 on the potential mental effects that social media can have on its users, but it definitely offers a different perspective. Either people are not fully aware of the effects that social media may have on them, or they simply find more positive in the platforms than negative. Both of these would be very interesting angles to explore.

This will be an interesting topic to explore as we move forward in our project. Will we perhaps choose to create a platform that incorporates all of the best aspects of existing platforms? Or will we choose one platform and find a way to make the best of its affordances? There are still a lot of ways that we can approach our deliverable for this project, but we are getting closer to creating a solution.