I originally had intended to do my research project on how the age of social media is changing the evolution of language.
After meeting with Dr Chandler about this, a whole new world was opened up to me in regards to what I could do.
During our meeting we discussed several possible areas about how language is evolving in the age of the internet, and some books we recommended to me. During some idle conversation, I made mention to the fact that I do SEO (Search Engine Optimization) content writing in order to supplement my income. Soon, we were bouncing ideas around and seeing if this, in fact, was where my research topic proposal lay hidden.
Dr Chandler did a quick look on the web for articles surrounding SEO and content writing in general, and there are very few (if any) out there. The closest are articles written by Tim Wu, whom I have yet to read due to time constraints of my week.
After going over my notes from the meeting, and thinking long and hard about the topic itself, I've settled on a general question:
"Do SEO techniques bring forth questions of ethics in the way it utilizes language as a distraction? Should these processes be regulated?"
I'm still working on the exact phrasing, but it will be something along those lines.
I've already begun brainstorming over how I will go about my research. My goal is to have at least three in-depth interviews with individuals who I feel represent various aspects of the general public (business owners, parents, professors, etc) who use Google (or other search engines) often. Next, I would like to broaden my study's base by having people (students, mostly) fill out a questionnaire on whether or not they find SEO ethical.
I have a million ideas for this bouncing around, and am eager to see where it will take me.
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