Viral videos to combat viral vitriol: methodological considerations for ethical engagement

Abstract

Two years ago, I began a project based on the question, “If online platforms are providing more access for hate groups to recruit and radicalize members, then is it possible to use online platforms to combat discrimination, racism, and hatred?” Educating public audiences and promoting positive social change were laudable goals, but this article explores the idea of how this was done in ethical ways. There were challenges encountered “along the way” when attempting to create a project from personal stories, including issues of ethical storytelling, respectful data management, community engagement with marginalized communities, complications of “going viral,” and more. In this article, I document the process of how four anti-racist videos were created, some of the challenges encountered along the way, methodological maneuvers, and suggestions for further methodological and ethical consideration. I explore two levels of analysis. First, by looking at methodological considerations, I detail the importance of community consultation, the need for research findings to be accessible, useful, and meaningful to the community, and how the decisions and planning around “going viral,” were further complicated by funder requirements and other ethical considerations. At the second level of analysis, I use autoethnography to explore how my own positionality factored into decisions about the project.