How the Internet is changing social science research

Interesting stuff. I’m not convinced that what someone posts online represents a greater “truth” than just asking them how they feel, but it’s a variation for sure.

Sociology of Sports

This is a bit “talking head” for me — could use more visuals. But the content is interesting, if basic. The info also needs to take into account how the Internet has changed what sports mean to society.

Norm breaking experiments

This is a pretty funny video created by students doing norm-breaking experiments for a sociology class. I’m not sure the Wal-Mart skateboarding fall completely qualifies, but this was still a creative approach and you can tell they were having fun and learning at the same time. Sociology should be educational and fun!

How to make sociology really boring

I’m not sure if this really qualifies as visual sociology — more like a PowerPoint presentation read by some guy who sounds like he drank a bottle of Nyquil just before the record button was pressed. I think we can do better!

Sociology meets the X-Files

A creative, fun student project that manages to educate and entertain.

A sociology lesson from Tupac Shakur

I’ve often said that some of the best sociologists can be found in rap music. Tupac was among the best. Here’s a cool video I found, put together by a sociology student, “focusing on stratification, gender, race and social change all from Pac’s point of view.” Nice!

Barack Obama Victory Rally in Chicago 11-04-2008

Here’s a video I shot last year on the eve of Barack Obama’s election. This was shot in downtown Chicago; I arrived just as his win was announced. I wanted to capture the feeling of hope and joy, and interview people about their feelings. It was also interesting to see how people reacted to the camera — many assumed I was some sort of news reporter.

Hello and welcome!

Hello and welcome to the Visual Sociology blog, a gathering place for academics interested in utilizing visual mediums in their research. Many updates on the way, so stay tuned!