Critical methods and user generated content: the iPhone on YouTube

Sites like YouTube offer vast sources of data for studies of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). However, they also present a number of methodological challenges. This paper offers an example study of the initial reception of the iPhone 3G through YouTube. It begins with a quantitative account of the overall shape of the most frequently viewed returns for an "iPhone 3G" search. A content analysis of the first hundred videos then explores the returns categorized by genre. Comments on the most popular video "Will It Blend" are analyzed using grounded theory. It is argued that social science methods are not sufficient for a rich understanding of such material. The paper concludes with an analysis of "Will it Blend" that draws on cultural and critical theory. It is argued that a multi-methodological approach is necessary to exploit such data and also to address the challenges of next generation HCI. ACM Classification Keywords H5.m. Information interfaces and p...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Mark Blythe, Paul A. Cairns
• Keywords: CHI 2009, Generation Hci, Green HCI, Human Computer Interaction, Keywords Critical Theory