An Autoethnographical Investigation of Anime, Manga, & Reddit

Before I continue to detail my experience on Reddit, I’d first like to outline the methodology involved in my approach, detailing how my research of Japanese Anime and Manga corresponds with, and is guided and framed by, the concept of autoethnography.

Autoethnography is an approach to research and writing that seeks to describe and systematically analyze personal experience in order to understand cultural experience… Thus, as a method, autoethnography is both process and product.

– Ellis, Addams, Bochner, ‘Autoethnography, An Overview.’

As Ellis explains, autoethnography combines the forms of autobiography, and ethnography – the process encouraging me to describe my personal experiences with Japanese Manga and Anime, whilst sharing the experience with other members on Reddit, my chosen site of interest. Thus, my investigation will incorporate two cultural experiences, the cultural experience of Japanese texts, and the cultural experience of participating in Reddit.

In order to successfully apply this method into my investigation I’m making the effort to participate weekly in the cultural experience by both watching anime and reading manga, and then by participating in discussions on Reddit I have also been posting questions in order to spawn discussion, allowing others to share their experiences, a process which also helps to expose myself to brand new texts. I’ve so far been successful, I’ve asked r/manga about the worst manga they’ve ever read, the post receiving 108 comments, and also asked r/anime about the most emotional anime they’ve ever seen, receiving 38 comments with many interesting contributions.

In my future reflective blog posts I plan on adhering to Sheridan’s “autoethnography prompts” questions which serve as a useful way to frame my process of investigation across the next few weeks, and a useful way to prompt a deeper response to my experience. In the coming weeks I plan to generate more discussion on Reddit, and plan to look into some of the texts suggested to me in the discussions, writing about my experiences with them.

Finally, this weekend I’m going to Oz-Comic Con, an interesting experience which I’m sure will serve to inspire me during my investigation.

References

Ellis, C, Adams, T & Bochner, A 2011, “Autoethnography: An Overview”, Forum: Qualitative Social Research, vol. 12, no. 1, accessed 11th Sept 2014, found: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1101108

Sheridan, R , “Autoethnography: Research as Participant”, accessed 11th Sept 2014, found:http://ricksheridan.netmar.com/auto/