Researching in the 21st Century: the "truth" is somewhere out there

Kristin Luker (2008) explains that social science methods are a "set of guidelines about how to conceptualize and execute a systematic intellectual inquiry into something that lets you get as close to the truth as possible" (p.6). Luker goes on to argue that this quest for "truth" is dated and too complex for modern researchers because subjects have become interdisciplinary and seemingly limitless resources are now available in both print and electronic form. In contrast, her generation had much fewer and more specific resources available in order to "master" one subject.

First, reading a professor admit that the demand for modern researchers to find and define truth in their methods is challenging and no longer achievable in the same way was gratifying. All the agony, confusion and general frustration I experienced during my undergraduate Methods of Art History class came flooding back. I let out a sigh of relief. Ahhh... At last! Validation that I AM NOT A BAD RESEARCHER but rather a product of my generation - one suffering from non-linear thinking and "info-glut". However, that is not to say I should make excuses for myself, but instead, recognize that some (older) research methods are less realistic in their approaches.

Second, this search for "truth" has not stopped.  We still must learn to read and navigate through a topic but with the added challenge of finding GOOD information. Often times the alarming number of online databases, internet webpages and social media outlets have made finding reliable information more difficult. And as we have learned, GOOGLE is not the prodigal search engine it was once believed to be - with its popular and skewed results. As many of us find ourselves on the Internet "surfing" more than say, in a library, we have become exposed to instant-gratifications of truth in the guise of news, social status updates and headlines that change by the minute. 

As a result, it is no longer realistic to seek ONE truth but to expect that in today's fast-paced world there will always be many definitions of truth.  This then brings us back to Luker's original definition that seeking the truth is "to conceptualize and execute a systematic intellectual inquiry."  Finding the truth is still the most important element of our research goals, however, we must find new strategies to produce good research.

Finally, for those of us interested (and albeit somewhat forced) to take part in social-media, either for personal or academic/professional reasons, it is necessary to consider how technologies, the internet and our desire to find the truth is constantly being challenged and compromised. As this class begins, I will use Luker's book as a tool and my own research journal as a test to find new & improved research practices to alleviate some of the madness I've experienced while researching in the 21st Century.

Check out this post by John Carroll, senior director in Ipsos MediaCT and chairman of the Media Research Group about  the events of the Media Research Group (MRG) 2012 Conference in Monte Carlo: 
ARE RESEARCHERS GAMBLING WITH THE TRUTH?
http://www.research-live.com/comment/are-researchers-gambling-with-the-truth?/4008713.article

1. Social media metrics need a reality check

2. Big data is just data

3. Stop being London-centric

4. More haste less speed

5. We need specialists, not generalists