My research question, originally conceived: to what extent
do DIY online communities displace capital activity?
The major shift that has occurred in my thinking over this
course is the realization that I am not an economist and I am not trained in economic
disciplinary methods. In other words, I
am not familiar with economic quantitative analyses and I would not be able to
conduct them in an acceptable fashion (later scrutiny to peer review) without said
expertise. Furthermore, my initial
research question itself is huge. I now
think this research could ideally be executed as an interdisciplinary project
between an information + an economic scholar.
The value I would bring to such a project is my attention to the online
space (how it is dis/similar to offline) and my familiarity with the field of
community informatics. As I am
ideologically invested in the question (let’s be honest), I could also use the
research with the DIY online community to arrive at sound conclusions that
could be used to empower others; as a longer-term goal, I could develop tools
to help DIY online communities actualize their goals toward increased economic
independence.