This week was still in the introductory phase, so we were all still trying to get a feel for how to tackle this idea and get good enough results from it. There is definitely some good potential in exploring the culture of each category though, and we will progressively get better as we get more used to our roles in observation and get more used to the general feel of reddit.
Commenting and Posting
I got really engrossed in exploring the various categories so I could find a good fit for me. Since I felt I was still getting used to reddit as a whole as well, I did not do any posting or commenting yet. But now that I have chosen a clear choice for my category to monitor, I can give my exploration more of a direction and not wander as much looking for options.
I got really engrossed in exploring the various categories so I could find a good fit for me. Since I felt I was still getting used to reddit as a whole as well, I did not do any posting or commenting yet. But now that I have chosen a clear choice for my category to monitor, I can give my exploration more of a direction and not wander as much looking for options.
The Atheism Category
I am a Christian myself, so the atheism category seemed like a very interesting category to monitor and learn about. Right off the bat, I noticed that many of the posts seemed to be about debunking religion in general. A lot were about how someone had a debate or discussion with a non-atheist and stumped them, and they celebrated this as a major victory. I suppose this all makes sense seeing as this is a haven for atheists. I will keep an eye out for any standout postings or discussions differing from this general trend.
I am a Christian myself, so the atheism category seemed like a very interesting category to monitor and learn about. Right off the bat, I noticed that many of the posts seemed to be about debunking religion in general. A lot were about how someone had a debate or discussion with a non-atheist and stumped them, and they celebrated this as a major victory. I suppose this all makes sense seeing as this is a haven for atheists. I will keep an eye out for any standout postings or discussions differing from this general trend.
There was one topic that was extremely interesting. Someone explained that they were new to atheism and had just started 3 months ago. Their explanation was that it was extremely difficult to deal with and they were seeking guidance on how to make the transition easier. Everyone was very helpful and many noted that this is normal in the early phases of the switch. I have never actually heard someone tell of how they switched to atheism from being religious. I plan to pay attention to this post and to follow this individual to see how they behave over time.
Wrap-up and Plans for Next Week
Overall, this was a successful week in getting more of an understanding for how to go about the reddit ethnography research. In addition to the commenting and posting where applicable, monitoring of subscription numbers in categories and subcategories, as well as posting trends of users in the atheism category will be noted. Only paying attention to how users post in the atheism category will not get the full picture of the user. Also, I am still figuring out the best way to format the ethnography results updates, so this format will hopefully change and become more organized.
Overall, this was a successful week in getting more of an understanding for how to go about the reddit ethnography research. In addition to the commenting and posting where applicable, monitoring of subscription numbers in categories and subcategories, as well as posting trends of users in the atheism category will be noted. Only paying attention to how users post in the atheism category will not get the full picture of the user. Also, I am still figuring out the best way to format the ethnography results updates, so this format will hopefully change and become more organized.
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