Digital Public Archaeology in a Time of Crisis: investigating and improving the real world impact of online engagement in the UK

该项目将对商业考古领域开展的数字化公众宣传活动进行批判性分析。英国超过90%的考古发掘涉及商业单位(富尔福德，2011年)，但还没有对数字扩展进行任何详细的分析。鉴于不断变化的通信环境，考古学家了解这些新技术的影响和影响至关重要。这项研究尤其及时，因为英国考古学面临着严峻的挑战，特别是普遍缺乏技能和政府削减核心服务。使用在线媒体，如Facebook，展示公众宣传的影响，对于展示考古学对社会的价值至关重要。事实上，英国两个主要的考古机构--英国考古协会(CBA)和英国考古学家特许学会(CIFA)--已经表示，数字媒体的价值、参与和影响是必须解决的关键、时间敏感的问题。这两个机构都热情地支持这个项目。这个建议建立在我对英国必须农业青铜时代挖掘的创新社交媒体参与工作和我的硕士论文的基础上，我的硕士论文对其社交媒体指标进行了定性分析，并对用户评论进行了内容分析。我认为有必要了解公众受众、考古社交媒体上用户互动的性质，以及对当前商业数字参与倡议的广泛审查。以前对数字公共考古的研究主要集中在描述其组成部分(Bonacchi&Moshenska 2015)或特定社交媒体平台(例如Twitter)的使用(Richardson 2012)。在研究人员探索社交媒体在遗产中的使用时，他们强调了对影响的批判性研究和分析的匮乏(Bonacchi 2012；Walker 2014)，基于有限的数据集或过度量化(Perry&Beale 2015)。这位博士将在这项研究的基础上创建一个实质性的数据集，以评估目前英国商业考古的数字公众参与。我将首先创建一个商业考古组织的数据库(使用CIFA成员名单)，重点放在社交媒体平台上。然后将收集从具有代表性的时间框架中抽样的定量数据。这将包括核心指标(喜欢、反应)和更具互动性的参与度表示(评论、文本分享)。互动活动将进一步使用定性内容分析进行编码，使用一个新的组合框架，该框架结合了My MSC必须农场研究。用户活动的指标派生数据库和编码内容分析将通过案例研究进行补充。案例研究将涉及正在进行的必须农场公报和最近在黑湖(苏格兰)挖掘的在线推广。AOC考古和伦敦考古博物馆。问卷调查和对利益相关者的有针对性的采访将被用来描述算法驱动的社交媒体指标以外的受众特征。访谈可以通过探索个人的背景、先前的互动和对考古的看法，更好地了解可访问性和包容性问题。这项研究将产生一个规模庞大的混合数据集，以确定对考古学家最具影响力的社交媒体使用。与外部合作伙伴(CBA)合作，我将创建一份最佳实践文件，随后将为商业考古单位和以社区为基础的当地历史和考古学会举办一系列讲习班，以便有效地与社交媒体接触，交流考古研究。与广泛的考古学家合作将加强和细微差别的考古科学交流。虽然研究的重点是英国，但这项工作具有国际兴趣和意义。在全球范围内，考古学家正在努力改善考古学的在线交流，以打击民族主义对过去的利用。这项研究将直接支持这一努力。

This project will provide a critical analysis of digital public outreach undertaken in commercial archaeology. Over 90% of the UK's archaeological excavations involve commercial units (Fulford 2011) but there is yet to be any detailed analysis of digital outreach. Given the changing communication landscape it is critical for archaeologists to understand the reach and impact of these new technologies.This research is particularly timely as British archaeology faces serious challenges, notably a widespread shortage of skills and government cuts to core services. Demonstrating the impact of public outreach using online media, e.g. Facebook, is critical for demonstrating archaeology's value to society. Indeed, the UK's two leading archaeological agencies, the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) and the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA), have stated that the value, engagement and impact of digital media are critical, time-sensitive issues that must be addressed. Both agencies have enthusiastically endorsed this project.This proposal builds on my innovative social media engagement work on the UK Must Farm Bronze Age excavation and my MSc dissertation that conducted qualitative analysis of its social media metrics and content analysis of user comments. I identified an imperative to understand public audiences, the nature of user interactions on archaeological social media, and a wide ranging examination of current commercial digital engagement initiatives.Previous research on digital public archaeology has largely focused on characterising its components (Bonacchi & Moshenska 2015) or the use of specific social media platforms (e.g. Twitter) (Richardson 2012). Where researchers have explored social media use in heritage they have highlighted the paucity of critical studies and analyses of impact (Bonacchi 2012; Walker 2014), drawn on limited datasets or been overly quantitative (Perry & Beale 2015). This PhD will build on this research and create a substantial dataset to evaluate current digital public engagement of UK commercial archaeology.I will first create a database of commercial archaeological organisations (using the CIfA members list), focusing on social media platforms. Quantitative data sampled from a representative timeframe will then be collected. This will include core metrics (likes, reactions) and more interactive representations of engagement (comments, shares with text). Interactive engagements will be further coded with qualitative content analysis, using a new combined framework incorporating my MSc Must Farm research.The metrics-derived database and coded content analysis of user engagements would be augmented with case studies. Case studies would involve the ongoing Must Farm communiques and recent online outreach from excavations at Black Loch (Scot.) by AOC Archaeology, and the Museum of London Archaeology.Questionnaires and targeted interviews with stakeholders will be used to characterise audiences beyond algorithm-driven social media metrics. Interviews can better inform issues of accessibility and inclusivity by exploring individuals' backgrounds, prior interactions and perceptions of archaeology.This research will produce a sizable, mixed dataset to identify the most impactful use of social media for archaeologists. Working with the external partner (CBA), I will create a best practice document, followed by a series of workshops for commercial archaeological units and community-based local history and archaeology societies to engage effectively with social media to communicate archaeological research. Working with a broad range of archaeologists will strengthen and nuance archaeological science communication. While the research focus is the UK, this work is of international interest and significance. Globally, archaeologists are working to improve online communication of archaeology to combat nationalist uses of the past. This research will directly support this effort.