CHAPTER THREE - METHODS

CHAPTER THREE: METHODS

CHAPTER THREE: METHODS

Introduction

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the ways in which far right cyber spaces and real life spaces are used in tandem and how images facilitate the use of those spaces. For the purposes of this study, it was determined that the safest and most reliable way to procure data would be from third party sources. The shorter time length of this study did not allow for inroads and relationships to be created with far right actors in order to engage in interviews or distribute surveys. Additionally, while research for this project was being conducted, the events of January 6, 2021, occurred at the United States Capitol building. Video recordings of the events by participants were played by the media and reports signaled that the day’s participants, including far right groups and actors, planned the events using the internet (Lytvynenko & Hensley-Clancy, 2021). Significantly, the public contents of Parler, a web platform popular with the far right (Katz, 2020), were saved to the internet archive by a group of internet activists prior to the service losing its Amazon Web Services hosting and its app being removed from the Google and Apple app stores (Wong & Morse, 2021). This deplatforming was a direct result of the Parler’s inaction in dealing with the violent and insurrectionist content on January 6, 2021 (Wong & Morse, 2021). According to the internet programmers that—anonymously—uploaded the data, this cache consisted of 99% of Parler’s public contents, including thousands of recordings from the January 6, 2021, incident. Of these thousands of video recordings, investigative journalism non-profit ProPublica released 500 as an effort to provide data to the public (Klein & Kao, 2021). This database provided by ProPublica was used to complete the audio and visual analysis for this thesis based on the use of this platform by far right groups and individuals, its accessibility, and the historical importance of the events of January 6, 2021, at the United States Capitol building.

Research Design

For this thesis, an audio and visual analysis was conducted on 100 of the 500 Parler video recordings of January 6, 2020, that were provided in the ProPublica database. A flaw in Parler’s code at the time of the site’s content retrieval not only made the recordings—and other content—easy to access and save, but it also included the videos original geolocation and time stamps (Greenberg, 2021). Using that information, ProPublica’s database provided each video recording with a time and label by location: around Capitol, near Capitol, and inside Capitol. The first video posted on the database was recorded at 12:01 PM Eastern Standard Time while the last video posted was recorded at 5:39 PM Eastern Standard Time. Each video recording was analyzed to determine which, if any, symbols or imagery were present on individuals and the flags flown by individuals. Additionally, an audio analysis was conducted on each video: when individuals “selfie” narrated the event, or were clearly heard behind the recording device, the contents of the narration were either collected word for word (shorter recordings) or summarized with some quotes recorded (longer, repetitive recordings).

Sampling and Procedures

Data was collected by generating 100 random numbers out of 500 using an internet random number generator (Urbaniak & Plous, 2021). Random sampling was chosen as it seemed the best way to capture a representative slice of the 500 videos. Utilizing a Google Form format, each of the 100 videos was analyzed for the following: flags, hats/beanies, clothing (shirts/pants/jackets), pins/patches, chants/songs, and narration. An individual Google form was filled out for each video. When these items were observed or heard, a check mark notation system was used to record imagery and words used. Additional checks were not added if more than one of the same item was viewed. Under each category listed above were the descriptive analysis markers: Pro Trump, American, Anti-Biden, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Gadsden, Confederate, QAnon, American Betsy Ross, Three Percent Flag, and America First, and others, with some slight variation among the categories (see Appendix A). Using the Google form allowed for additional descriptive markers to be included as needed during the analysis, but no markers were removed during the process. A handwritten list was also created to cross reference the sample number with the timestamp and length of the video, and its place out of the 500 videos. This step was necessary because ProPublica’s database did not number the videos, however the videos were posted in sequential order by time of day and sorted by location. Each video was viewed at least twice, many were viewed five or more times, depending on the length and content of the video. Once all 100 videos were viewed and their associated Google forms were submitted, the data was then available in several formats: summaries of each question (including charts and graphs), by question, and by individual entry. A Google Sheet spreadsheet was also auto generated after the last form was submitted. This allowed for both visual and textual data analysis.

Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted on the video recordings. However, it must be noted that the quantitative analysis is not meant to be a full record of the types and numbers of imagery present on January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol. Since the videos were often of the same crowd spaces but from various individuals reflecting their position in the crowd, the scenes must show the same individuals and flags, therefore a counting was deemed unrealistic and prone to error. The same is true for some of the chants recorded in videos from the same crowd space and at around the same time. Rather, the point is to provide a qualitative analysis of the day, specifically checking for markers of far right groups and actors, including imagery and rhetoric, and reflecting on how these markers facilitate the use of both real life and cyber spaces. It is likely that the events of January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol will be researched and analyzed for years to come. Several news analyses have been published in just the few months since and undoubtedly much academic research is ongoing. This small study is meant to add to the discussion of the events of the day, specifically how cyberspace and real life space became one during the event and how imagery was used in this space.