I now realize that this article could have cast as deeply theoretical one, exploring the nature of research paradigms and struggles to create intellectual order out of social reality and research challenges in the field. Of course, the specialist journals in the philosophy of research may have just found it too lightweight. So whatever I write might have to wait for another occasion, or it might never happen as well, I am no longer ’employed’, just hanging around and helping. I was particularly prompted to make this comment because last night I read a fabulous article about Thomas Kuhn who published one of the seminal books in intellectual history — The structure of scientific revolutions. It was one of the most important books published in the 20th century, that gave rise to terms like “the paradigm shift”. A recent excellent article about Kuhn and his struggle to understand the nature research disciplinarity is here https://archive.md/xWhFa. He also offered a critique of himself in the second edition. He also sounds like a total bastard from reading about how he treated students. And it just touches upon whiteness as well.
This article explores ambiguities, limitations, constraints, and ethical issues related to the collection and use of online social data for research purposes from a Facebook community fostered by developmental bodies in rural Bangladesh. Even though there have been prior studies of information and communication technology use in vulnerable communities in development contexts, such research has not taken sufficient account of cultural and power dynamics at the coalface of social research. This investigation also examines the positionality of the researchers, including relationships to patriarchal and communal structures in Bangladesh. In this context, it examines the Facebook posts by women of a village. In particular, it finds that the desire to be seen as a “good woman” acts to regulate personal agency and expression of the village women.
Farinosi, M., Stillman, L., Sarrica, M., Sarker, A., Biswas, M., & Jannat, F. (2023). What lies behind a Facebook page? Insights from an action research project in rural Bangladesh. The Information Society, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/01972243.2023.2188334
