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Research Experience for Masters Students

“REMS”

At

The University of Michigan | School of Information

Jaleesa Rosario Turner | MSI 2020

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jaleesa@umich.edu | www.jaleesarosario.com

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REMS Program Objectives

The University of Michigan School of Information hosts an intensive summer Research Experience for Master’s Students (REMS) from other iSchool master’s programs.

Over 12-weeks 7 other students and I engage in a variety of research projects and received close mentorship as we investigated key topics in information science with UMSI faculty.

The REMS program supplements the experience in the research project with a broad range of educational and social activities that create a community of scholars among participating students.

via SI REMS webpage

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Creative Entrepreneurial Research

As apart of the REMS application process I was required to choose a mentor and topic that best aligns with my research interest.

I was then matched with my top mentor and project working with Dr. Julie Hui, while we investigated Entrepreneurial support platforms for low-income communities.

During the first week of the program, Dr. Hui approached me with an opportunity to create my very own summer creative research project from beginning to end.

Naturally, I jumped at the chance and started drafting up my own creative entrepreneurial research.

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My Research Questions

The most important part of the whole research process is coming up with a solid research question:

How are Millennial creatives of other (MCO) navigating the digital landscape to advocate for themselves and their community?

And what needs to change to develop an inclusive digital landscape to better support MCO’s of the future?

Once I was able to lock down my research questions, I began the arduous task of creating a fool proof research plan package for IRB approval.

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The Research Process

Once I received IRB approval the majority of the research process went as followed:

  • Participant Recruitment, which came in the form of direct or “targeted” recruitment as well as in-direct or “snowballing”. This process took a little over a month.
  • Participant Interviews (N=16), where a ongoing during the majority of the summer months.
  • Data Analysis, which came in the form of open source coding each interview.
  • Poster Presentation, which was an event organized by the REMS faculty and staff for us to present our work to the Umich community.
  • Paper Creation, which is meant to be sent to conferences for possible publication.

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Data Analysis Outcomes

During the analysis process three major themes emerged under the umbrella of The Creative Millennial Paradox:

  • The Digital Native Paradox
    • The Millennial Paradox is the driving force behind MCO’s behaviors and motivations, as the first digital natives [2] within their communities.
  • The Digital Boundaries Paradox
    • The purpose of the platform vs the platforms purpose
  • The Digital Privacy Paradox
    • MCO’s were unaware of the degree in which their data is being used on digital platforms

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Direct quotes and images from my participants

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Next Steps

The most important next step for me is to complete the research paper with the expectation to submit it for publication. In order to:

  • Inform and push for future research on the effects of creative digital tools on MCO’s personal and professional development.
  • Provide examples as to why diverse and inclusive teams are imperative for the future development of more sophisticated Machine Learning, AI and NLP environments.
  • Use multiple model methods [2] to create industry impact models that can explain current emergences and uncover the impact MCO’s creative contributions have on the internet development as a whole.
  • Use policy to work towards the reclassification of the, Internet as a utility and update the current characteristics of digital platforms, systems and software within the US business commons to reflect the current landscape and address tech giant monopolies.
  • Define the framework of the (American) Digital Creative Commons, industry behaviors and pay scale in order to ensure a more equitable digital future for creatives, and more specifically MCO’s.

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Photo of me and Dr. Julie Hui at the REMS Poster Presentation

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References

  1. Icons via www.flaticon.com
  2. J. Palfrey and U. Gasser, Born digital: understanding the first generation of digital natives. New York: Basic Books, 2016.
  3. S. E. Page, The model thinker: what you need to know to make data work for you. New York: Basic Books, 2018.