Information practices meet lifelogging technologies: Towards a successful multimethod research framework

Abstract

Information Practice research emphasises on contextual factors such as the situation, social roles, collaborators, or communications of information behaviour. This wider scope allows us to gain enriched, deeper, and complex understanding of how people interact with information in various contexts. However, this also poses researchers many challenges in data collection and analyses, since conventional methods such as observations, interviews, surveys might not either possible or complete. Meanwhile, a range of wearable devices have become commodity and collecting a large amount of personal lifelog data has become much easier than before. On the other hand, the researchers who are familiar with qualitative methods and computational methods do not often communicate, although they are likely to have common research agenda. This proposed panel provides a unique opportunity to invite panellists from the two research communities, and discusses how lifelogging technologies may (or may not!) contribute and transform information practice research. The panel will also involve the audience in sharing their personal or scientific experience with lifelogging technologies, or their expectations or concerns regarding the use of lifelogging technologies in their research. Outcomes from the panel discussion should yield some clear pointers that can facilitate multimethod research in Information Practices.

iConference Proceedings 2017 Volume 1

“…Joho and Hopfgartner are from iSchool member institutions. Joho, Gurrin, and Hopfgartner have recently organised a panel session at JCDL 2015 (Gurrin & Hopfgartner, 2015), and a methodological panel at ASIS&T 2016 (Joho, Gurrin, Heinström, & Matsubayashi, 2016). Both panels motivated us to propose a technical SIE as a hands-on session with lifelogging devices at iConference 2017.…”

Phones, privacy, and predictions

“…For instance, simple communication logs can already provide significant insight into an individual’s social network and social behavior. A variety of lifelogging devices with sensing technologies have been created and their applications provide users with the opportunity to track their lives accurately and automatically (Joho et al , 2016). The idea of “Quantified Self” starts with tracking daily activities such as location, mood, health factors, sleep patterns, photos, phone calls and so on.…”

Guest editorial

“…forms and the interpretation and aggregation of heterogeneous sensor data streams (Gurrin et al, 2014). However, a series of workshops has recently been organised to bridge the research agenda with quantitative and qualitative researchers in Information Science (e.g., (Joho et al, 2016a(Joho et al, ,b, 2017). This special topic issue builds on this direction to increase our understanding on behavioural and social practice aspects of lifeloggers and their lifelogging activities.…”