Innovations to Photovoice: Using Smartphones & Social Media

Abstract

Photovoice, a participatory action research method, has evolved little over the past two decades. The ubiquity of smartphones and their utility as digital cameras make them a natural fit for photovoice projects. The use of social media to post photographs and comment also has the potential to be a platform for photovoice activities. Using these technologies for photovoice promotes capturing daily life in vivo without the need of additional equipment. These technologies also allow the research team to see photos posted daily and track comments without waiting for scheduled interviews or group meetings and elevates the discussion into the public sphere to facilitate wider engagement. These strategies may also produce more photos and narratives than traditional methods by leveraging technology people use daily. Study participants noted these technologies facilitated wider understanding, awareness, and discussions of neighborhood issues.

Going My Way? Understanding Curb Management and Incentive Policies to Increase Pooling Service Use and Public Transit Linkages in the San Francisco Bay Area

“…Increasing smartphone and internet accessibility has led to the integration of these technologies into the photovoice method. Studies have engaged with participants over social media, allowing participants to take their photographs with their own smartphones and share the photographs with researchers via hashtag, and to post a final collage of participant images to social media to allow for increased community exposure [52,53]. The Qualtrics survey software tool has been used to increase flexibility and allow photovoice participants to submit photographs and captions at their convenience [54].…”

Innovating Methodologies for Examining Gentrification-Induced Social and Cultural Displacement: An Illustration of Integrating Photovoice into Story Map

“…Photovoice centers the voices and lived experiences of historically marginalized groups, which serves as a form of empowerment (Foster, Davis, and Foell 2022; Kovacic et al 2014; Sánchez-Ledesma et al 2020; Shah 2015; Wilson et al 2007). Although there are other methods that use photos (i.e., photo-elicitation), Foster, Davis, and Foell (2022) note that photovoice is distinguished from photo-elicitation methods in the following ways:First, photovoice is a participatory action research method where participants drive the process. Its aim is community empowerment and advocacy through identifying community assets and needs (Tornabene, Nowak, and Vogelsang 2018).…”

“…Photovoice has been identified as a participatory action research method that utilizes photography to enable participants to represent their community's assets and needs, promote critical dialogue, and engage in social action (Wang and Burris 1997). Photovoice centers the voices and lived experiences of historically marginalized groups, which serves as a form of empowerment (Foster, Davis, and Foell 2022; Kovacic et al 2014; Sánchez-Ledesma et al 2020; Shah 2015; Wilson et al 2007). Although there are other methods that use photos (i.e., photo-elicitation), Foster, Davis, and Foell (2022) note that photovoice is distinguished from photo-elicitation methods in the following ways:First, photovoice is a participatory action research method where participants drive the process.…”

Photovoice: Methodological Insights from a Multi-site Online Design

“…Participants were eligible to participate in the photovoice project if they completed an initial in-depth interview, signed a consent form that included photo release approval, and answered the Day 1 photo prompt via text. This photovoice project centered on Wang and Burris's (1997) design, and we further adapted it to an online modality and drew from social media, daily diary, and photo-elicitation approaches to support on-going engagement and depth in participants' experiences with our research questions (Foster et al, 2023;Goldberg et al, 2022;Shaw 2021). We designed a protocol to engage with youth in photovoice using daily prompts and video recorded messages delivered via text (see Appendix) to participants for 14 consecutive days.…”