Fisk-Memo37


 * IN PROGRESS***

TITLE Innocent Demons: Mechanisms of Dominance in Youth Internet Safety Discourse

SUMMARY Undoubtedly, policies and programs developed within the discourse of youth Internet safety have played an important role in fostering awareness and mitigation of the real risks faced by Internet users. However, in less immediately visible ways, these policies are reshaping the landscape of cyberspace, both constraining and enabling the ways in which the Internet is used to produce and reproduce culture. To date, little attention has been paid to the effects of youth Internet safety policies and practices, which are largely obscured by a focus on protecting children. These policies are part of a larger trend, silently reordering the Internet, frequently in ways which strategically benefit dominant interests and restrict the actions of everyday Internet users. This study is an ethnographic study of the construction and experience of youth Internet safety policies and measures, examining the ties between what are being described as “21st Century Skills” – such as social networking and Internet research – and aspects of youth culture online which are perceived to be deviant – such as piracy.

In addition to an analysis of media coverage and legislation concerning youth computer crime and safety, empirical material for this project will be conducted through 30 interviews with junior high and high school students, 15 interviews with teachers, 15 interviews with parents and 10 interviews with state legislators. Field research will be conducted at multiple sites within New York State between December 2009 and December 2010. These sites will include school districts in both Western and Upstate New York – such as Fairport Central School district and Lake George Central School District – and the New York State Capitol Building in Albany, NY. All interviews will be conducted face-to-face, and will be transcribed by the primary investigator for analysis.

Findings will be published as a dissertation, as a requirement for the completion of the PhD program in Science & Technology Studies. Portions of this dissertation will additionally be developed into essays for publication in journals such as Science, Technology & Human Values.

RESPONSE TO IRB QUESTIONS

1.Title: “Innocent Demons: Mechanisms of Dominance in Youth Internet Safety Discourse”

2.Principal Investigator: Nathan W. Fisk

3.Address: 22 Griswold Ave

4.Phone: (518) 321-9819

5.?

6.Department: Science & Technology Studies

7.Objective: This study is an ethnographic study of the construction and experience of youth Internet safety policies and measures.

8.Methods: Approximately 60-70 in depth interviews, approximately 2 hours in length, based on discourse analysis of media coverage and legislation. Initial student, parent and faculty interview subjects will be chosen in collaboration with school district administrators, but ideally will be selected at random from enrollment lists. Through this first round of interviews, additional candidates will be selected in each surveyed district, as allowed by the administrator in each district. Legislative participants will be selected on the basis of participation in the development of youth Internet safety legislation.

9.Effects on Subjects: There will be minimal physical effects on the subjects, as they will be interviewed. However, in the case of the student interviews, there is a possibility of psychological harm, as they may potentially recall experiences of online victimization or crime.

10.Measures to Minimize Risks: All interviews will be voluntary. Interviewees will be given the opportunity to be anonymous, to stop the interview at any point, or to retract the interview or parts of it before publication. Recordings of interviews will be digitally encrypted and password protected. Only the primary investigator will have access to these recordings on a password protected computer. Following analysis, all copies of the recordings will be securely deleted, save for copies stored on a secured backup drive. Student questions and interview guides will be developed in collaboration with an expert on childhood development, who will additionally help guide the primary investigator in interview strategies. In addition to active parental consent forms, all students will be asked to complete an additional personal consent form prior to the interview, reiterating the purpose of the study, the confidentiality of the data and the ability to refuse or halt the interview at any time – particularly in the case of emotional distress. The primary investigator will monitor for signs of emotional distress throughout interviews with students, and in the case of distress, interview participation will be immediately discontinued and the school guidance councilor will be contacted.

11.Likelihood of Harm: Low. A number of similar studies have been performed within the past 5 years without incident. These include a number of surveys which have collected data on youth computer crime, which asked students far more sensitive questions, and at much earlier ages. Additionally, there has been a recent dissertation published on a similar topic, studying the use of social networking technologies by teens through ethnographic interviews of youth Internet users, which too was completed without incident.

12.Documentation of Risks: ???

13.Benefits of Participation: Participants in this study – namely parents and teachers – will benefit directly and indirectly from the development of a historical record and cultural analysis of youth Internet safety. In addition to proposed workshops on youth culture online for parents and teachers, this report will provide policy implications for both legislators and school administrators in an effort to guide future policy decisions surrounding youth Internet safety.

14.Alternative Method: None available.

15.Qualification of Researcher: Nathan Fisk has completed a B.S. in Information Technology, a M.S. in Communications & Media Technology and an M.S. in Professional Studies, all from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), in addition to coursework in research design here at RPI. Additionally, Nathan Fisk has conducted extensive research on youth and computer crime, designing and administering 4 consecutive surveys between 2006 and 2007, culminating in a fifth research project – the Rochester Cyber Safety & Ethics Initiative (RRCSEI) in 2008. Nathan Fisk conducts interviews in accordance with the code of research ethics established by the American Anthropological Association.

16.Recruiting of Subjects: Legislators who have participated in the development of youth Internet safety legislation will be contacted directly, informed of the purpose of the interview, and provided with the opportunity to decline the interview. All other participants will be recruited by first contacting school district superintendents, who will be informed of the purpose of the research. Upon consent of the superintendent, participants will be chosen in collaboration with school administrators in order to reduce the level of intrusiveness to normal school operation, and to provide an avenue for parental consent in the case of student participants. All participants will be informed of the purposes of the review, and all will be given the opportunity to decline or end the interview at any time.

17.Confidentiality: No student participants will be associated with the data they provide, regardless of intention to be identified within the research. All other participants will be given the option to be associated with their remarks, a decision which may be changed up until the publication of the research. Additionally, all participants may choose to withdraw their statements from the record at any time prior to the publication of the research. This information will be provided to all participants in the informed consent form.

18.Specimen of Consent Form:

19.Preliminary Interview Guide: