Exploring digital remediation in support of personal reflection

Lisa Thomas,Andrew Hart,Pam Briggs,Finola Kerrigan

doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2017.10.002

Lisa Thomas, Andrew Hart + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2017.10.002

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Abstract

We explored the transformation of social media content into three radically different formats; a book, a triptych of photographs and film.Using interviews, we investigated users' responses to their remediated data.Our findings were used to develop a digital curation process to assist the development of different tools for social media analysis and display.Our paper establishes design implications to aid reflection on social media use through remediation. Increasingly our digital traces are providing new opportunities for self-reflection. In particular, social media (SM) data can be used to support self-reflection, but to what extent is this affected by the form in which SM data is presented? Here, we present three studies where we work with individuals to transform or remediate their SM data into a physical book, a photographic triptych and a film. We describe the editorial decisions that take place as part of the remediation process and show how the transformations allow users to reflect on their digital identity in new ways. We discuss our findings in terms of the application of Goffman's (1959) self-presentation theories to the SM context, showing that a fluid rather than bounded interpretation of our social media spaces may be appropriate. We argue that remediation can contribute to the understanding of digital self and consider the design implications for new SM systems designed to support self-reflection.

Highlights

New forms of social media (SM), provide the means to generate and share multiple digital identities, but the resulting identity landscape is complex and the data underpinning digital personhood are fragmented, offering little in the sense of a coherent individual life story or presence
We found that storytelling in these different formats supports different forms of self-reflection and sense making in a large, personal SM digital dataset
We found that remediation was underpinned by four value-judgements: (i) participants eliminated inappropriate content that would not be suitable for sharing, effectively reducing the noise in the data, (ii) they considered the archival value of the remaining data, understanding the importance of curating content for later use and, (iii) they assessed the narrative content of the data in terms of its value in the storytelling process and (iv) they assessed the appeal and usefulness of the material in its remediated form

Summary

Introduction

New forms of social media (SM), provide the means to generate and share multiple digital identities, but the resulting identity landscape is complex and the data underpinning digital personhood are fragmented, offering little in the sense of a coherent individual life story or presence. Following Couldry (2008) and De Ridder (2015), we ask what different digital storytelling media offer individuals, SM researchers and designers in terms of the construction, evolution and consumption of the digital self and the processes involved in digital self-management. We present the findings from three studies where we work with individuals to transform or remediate their SM into different types of visual storytelling media (a physical book, three photographs presented as a triptych, and a film). We find that this remediation of personal digital data allows users to reflect on their digital identity in new ways. We offer a curation framework which can be used guide the design of systems that promote self-reflection and self-presentation and that would support improved digital literacy

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