Road Research Realities

By Becky Roth

Day: 4

Miles: 1,919

States: 4

Current Location: Somewhere in Texas

Goal: Dallas

Toilet clogs:3

Insights into the Reality of Ethnography…in an RV.

Road-trip research requires a great deal of patience and perseverance, and most importantly flexibility. As with any area of work or research, there are the perks and downfalls. Our research in particular requires a great deal of technology and equipment, which leads to a great deal of data that must be retrieved, an extensive binning process, tireless backups, and thus a great view of scenery. Our electrical network in this RV is a well planned maze of information which i think only we may understand, thus it is safe from anyone trying to figure it out, but at risk to any severely misplaced steps. Thankfully, ethnographers are resourceful and creative, as we have successfully hooked up an inverter for our laptops to a set of batteries under the stairs and have invested in wireless broadband internet. The connection seems to work almost everywhere theres a surface to drive on. No evidence of other civilization necessary.

And a few Diversions:

Every state I go through, I receive specifically tailored advertisements.  It even gets down to the city. The ads know before I do whether Ive crossed a border. But I bet they don’t know what “The Thing” in Arizona is. which brings me to the list of amusements and experiences since we began:

California: With the Pacific ocean, apparently rented out in its entirety by Jeff. Also, Venice Beach and Muscle Beach, where the Governator pumped it up, though he is no match for “The Equalizer”, also known as a wooden spoon wielded by Jeff as we spent our first night in Los Angeles.

Arizona: The “Thing”. which is a collection of many kitschy and unique “things” that make up a collection of “junk” that showcase “something” to do with “nothing.” also home of Bill Gregory, friend and astronaut as well as two of our ethnographic subjects.

New Mexico: Land of “Everything is going wrong and I’m going to bed”

(Thus, there are few comments about New Mexico.)

Currently we are blazing into Texas. Jeff has been driving all day everyday. Way to go Jeff.

Launching Into The Real Cyber World

 By Maren Elwood

 Loading files, folders, computers, external hard drives…off we go into Cyberspace!  We’ve been preparing here at On-Site to cover 22 States in 3 weeks and find out how people are really living and breathing the Internet in their lives and how they use various devices to interface with this new frontier.

I’m happy to announce that we have a new addition here at On-Site.  Becky Roth is an accomplished ethnographer who is coming off a study of YouTube.  And, we’ll be posting movies to YouTube as we move along on our trip.  We’ll also be generating both public and proprietary (for our sponsors) video clips to show what we learn along the way.

Hope to have you join along with us as a cyber ride along.  See you on a screen somewhere.  We are not in Kansas anymore Toto!

Our office has wheels, does yours?

 by Becky Roth

 Our Mission: To conduct the first ever longitudinal ethnographic  study of cyber lives in the US by conducting interviews, analyzing behavioral patterns, and recording the behind-the-scenes experience via video, picture, and text.

Challenge: Our office address will be “somewhere in an RV USA”

Welcome to On-Site Research’s blog for Cyber Census 2008, the place where Maren Elwood (a.k.a melwood) and myself, Becky Roth (a.k.a GoBecky) will be recording our journey as we travel from coast to coast to 22 states to develop cutting edge research on the real nitty gritty about the country’s cyber-lifestyle. If you are looking for our results, you may go to www.onsiteresearch.com, where posted are clips, or previews, to movies we’ve made regarding particular phenomenon in media ecology. If you are looking to see our creative process, you have come to the right place. if you arent into the “creative process” have no fear, for this blog will cover not only our deep insights, but also our less than glamorous moments as a college grad, professional ethnographer, and driver experience life on the road, and for me it means a 24/7 interview.

 My names Becky, and a highlight of my job as a research assistant is to record and deliver clips and text to give a behind-the-scenes look at the experience. So, look forward to pictures, webcam vlogs, and mini movies as Maren Elwood, head of On-Site Research and myself record our thoughts and stories.