Rethinking Public and Private Boundaries: The Ethical Challenges of Using Social Media in Participatory Research with Young People

The London Borough of Hackney has become iconic of the intensity of change in contemporary cities, marked as it is by high levels of mobility, urban regeneration, cultural diversity and social inequalities (Mayhew et. al. 2011; Wills 2010). Within this context, young people are at the centre of debates on social inclusion, crime and media representations of the borough.

The Creating Hackney as Home project used a participatory approach to explore with young people their experience of space and space use in Hackney, and in particular the formation of a ‘home’ in which they have a stake. The project centred on the production of films by five peer researchers which were later broadcast on the project website, linked to an online discussion forum as well as social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Moderated by the peer researchers, this online presence generated debate among young people locally, nationally and internationally.

This paper will focus on the methodological and ethical challenges that the project raised, particularly related to using social media and online technologies. The Creating Hackney as Home platform brought new possibilities for participatory research but also its own set of challenges in terms of ethical practice, with social media at times blurring the line between public and private, confidentiality and anonymity. The paper will also address questions of power dynamics in university collaboration with third sector organisations and an analysis of the conditions under which participatory methods should or should not be used.

Project information and the films can be found at: www.hackneyashome.co.uk