Analysing data

There are all kinds of ways in which you can analyze your data. Here are three possibilities that might interest you.

Focussing on someone's Facebook profile

Categorical analysis

(a) Identity in terms of displayed interests

•    data drawn from
o    analysis of photos posted to his site (photos showing him playing pool/billiards, photos of his gorgeous garden)
o    analysis of group memberships (local area interests)

(b) Identity in terms of maintaining social relationships

•    data drawn from:
o    analysis of applications added to his profile (the majority of which are about sharing some thing with others or about "friends")

(c) Identity in terms of the causes he supports and what this might suggest about what his values are:

•    data drawn from causes he has joined and has displayed on his profile (e.g., breast cancer pink ribbon cause, Canadian Forces)

Sociolinguistic analysis

Friends seem to be important within Gary's profile.

•    Of the 128 applications Gary himself has added to his profile 20 of them explicitly mention "friend" in the title of the application (e.g., Hug a Friend, Forever Friends, Make New Friends, My Party Friends); x of them mention "share" in the title and/or the body of the application; etc.
•    In his profile he explicitly states he is "looking for friendship"

His identity on Facebook is, in part, constructed in dynamic relationship with his Facebook friends (often through the results of comparative quizzes and through the language and images found in "gifting" or "action" exchange applications):

•    Conceptual verbs like "compare," "(a)like" etc. characterize his profile on Tuesday July 8.
•    Action verbs like "hug," "kiss", "chat"
•    Emotion verbs like "flirt", "love", "like"


Social semiotic analysis (Kress and colleagues)

(a)    Representational metafunction: what ideas or information do the images convey (i.e., "What is this about?")

(b)    Interpersonal metafunction: what messages about Garry's personal relationships with others, about how he conducts himself as a friend of a particular kind are sent by the images visible on his profile (i.e., "what are the implied relationships here and how do we know?")

(c) Textual metafunction: Pays attention to layout, to the proportion of images to text, to the position of images and text etc. (i.e., "What are the effects of the representational choices made in order to produce this text or sign?")

Data drawn from, for example:

•    An analysis of the "gift" icons sent to him by his friends
•    Analysis of image types (at the representational level) shows more "kawaii" (i.e., cute) pictures than anything else. What does this suggest?



Focussing on your fieldnotes

Categorical analysis

Becoming/being an insider to Facebook
•    Data in the form of:
o    Technical terms specific to Facebook
o    Evidence of greater facility in navigating Facebook applications
o    Evidence of attention to customizing your profile

Constructing your identity within Facebook
•    Data drawn from, for example:
o    Types of friends you invite to see your profile
o    Types of groups you join
o    Preferred applications as documented in your fieldnotes (e.g., Travel quiz play time etc.)


Sociolinguistic analysis
•    Process focus: Analyzing you notes and identifying change over time in how you speak about what you're doing as you become/be a Facebook insider (e.g., increasing use of Facebook specific terms, increase of use in positive confidence-related terms)
•    Conceptual focus: Analyzing your notes to see how your own conceptions of, say, identity changes and developments over time.


Michele Knobel, PhD
Professor, Dept of Early Childhood, Elementary and Literacy Education
3173 University Hall
Montclair State University
Montclair  NJ  07043

http://everydayliteracies.blogspot.com
http://www.coatepec.net