How does it feel to be visualized? Redistributing Ethics

What are the ethics of a network graph? Data visualizations like the above present problems for qualitative researchers because they involve data about more users than can feasibly give consent, and they also involve giving over more control in the research process to tools, APIs, and algorithms, while ethical frameworks often assume a heavily orchestrated research process, with the researcher at the helm. This chapter addresses some of the ethical implications of visualizations utilizing data from social media platforms, drawing on material from two ongoing studies (one which follows nuclear controversies on e-mail lists and Facebook, and another about diet-related hashtags on Instagram). While we cannot hope to offer any programmatic or definitive statements on the matter, we will draw on some insights from Science and Technology Studies (STS) to highlight how ethical issues are distributed between different aspects of the research process and between different types of actors, including non-human algorithms and tools.