DIGITAL ETHNOGRAPHY

By Heather Tucker (Tucker10)

DIGITAL ETHNOGRAPHY AND IT’S STAGES

Digital Ethnography is using new technology for software based media.

Three Stages: Data Collecting: it is to collect

data for research. There are many ways to collect data, for this class we used the interviewing process, survey process and being on Second Life.

Content Analysis: basically going over the data collected and organizing it into usable information for your study.

Comparative Analysis: It is comparing and contrasting our research with other sources that has been published, can relate, and/or similar to your subject of research.

MY AVATAR Looks like: She looks like a punk

school girl that has bleached hair and plaid skirt with green pants to keep pervs away. Has a cut sweater top Wears heavy make-up around the eyes to keep the punk look going.

Taste like: Salt, sunscreen, and foundation form make up. I hang around the water areas because water is relaxing but salty.

Sounds like: a wave pushing against the sand and then drifting back into the ocean.

Feels like: Soft cotton against soft skin and silky hair being attacked by the sand.

Smells like: salt and water. Some of the best smells comes from the oceans and some of the most disgusting smells do too.

DATA COLLECTINGI got intouch with Kris Schomaker through a search on the Second Life Search Engine. There I found a group of artists and she was on the list. So I sent a private message to her and explained that I wanted to interview and artist on Second Life. She asked me to send the message to her other Avatar Gracie Kendal. That is how I found her. Right now she has it display going on for a time located at: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Agriopis/101/22/27I do not know how long it will be lasting there. It is not a permanent installation piece.We choice that piece because it is her newest piece she has made. Also it incorporates many of her older painting into it. It is an expressionistic piece that is also her style of painting.

DATA COLLECTINGHer Avatar looks like a normal person that I can see walking around in the real world. She dressed professionally. Her Avatar is white girl, brown hair that is mid length, wears a blue/purple blouse with bellbottom pants. She does some paintings and art work in real life too. Here is a website she has:http://www.kristineschomaker.net/7ai4decbxuc311w34crra3qsd7upugShe was inspired by Second Life to paint skins in Real life. One her website you can see her work.She has her art change mediums between the two worlds to make a good collaboration between the two. She also has friends that can help her with problems that can occur.On of her friend made a video for Gracie:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2NQ69A4DQM&feature=youtu.be

COLLECTING DATA [09:23] Tucker10: That is cool that your thesis was on something that really enjoy.

How long does it take to make your art? Was it hard to make the transition? What process did/do you use??

[09:26] Gracie Kendal: Well my paintings take at least 30-40 hours. They each have 30-40 layers on them and they dry a couple hours in between those layers. The transition has been interesting. I go back and forth between mediums. When I am done painting a series I can't paint for a while, but I have to be creative somehow so I do performance art or something different. A main focus in my work is actually that transition between the mediums, between SL and RL. I painted mannequins to become Avatars based on my avatar here in SL. I used to wear only a skin that was a painting. Youc an see her flying around this video a little bit.

[09:27] Gracie Kendal: and that inspired me to create the painted Avatars in RL.

CONTENT ANALYSISQuestions Gracie Kendal

Real Life art work?Medium?Subject matter?

Paints and drawsAcrilique paintLines, patterns, shapes

Second Life art work? Paintings in digital media like movies

Second Life collaborations? Gallery showings, Video displays, and performance pieces

Does Second Life inspire Real Life in art?

Yes. Painting on manikins inspired from Second Life

COMPARATIVE ANALYSISLike stated in many other research Gracie is able to collaborate with people across the world. One of her friends currently lives in France while Gracie lives in the United States. Second Life gives that opportunity that the real world does not give. Also artist are able to try their hands in different medias and mediums that they would not normally try. For example with Gracie should would have not thought of painting on manikins in the Real world if it was not for Second life.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSISAccording to Sanchez’s research Second Life: An interactive Qualitative Analysis, He found that Second Life gave the students a new creative outlet and forced them to visualized their work. It forced the students to think out side the box that where unable to do in the real world. This is true with Gracie too. She started painting in 1998 and got on to Second Life in 2006. She continues to create art in both worlds. One inspires the other in her work.

REFERENCES Sanchez, J. (2007). Second Life: An

Interactive Qualitative Analysis. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds). Proceeding of Society for information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2007 (pp. 1240-1243).

http://www.kristineschomaker.net/7ai4decbxuc311w34crra3qsd7upug

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Agriopis/101/22/27

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2NQ69A4DQM&feature=youtu.be