Visualizing research: Crowd sourcing technology for global understanding

This research details the results of two pilot projects that explored the use of Image-based research and a new method of collecting visual data online. With visual culture and literacy as the pretext, new understandings of the visual-textual relationship in a global context were studied. Using Mechanical Turk, a crowdsourcing technology, requests for drawings and video analysis were submitted to a database where members selected and completed them. The results suggest a homogenizing effect on local and cultural interpretations of imagery could be taking place globally and further maintain that Image-based research should be the primary method for investigating and informing visual, media and digital literacies. Copyright © 2015 Author.