Focus Group: Media Fans and Politics Research Project

Are you an American citizen aged 18+?
Do you any feelings at all about politics?
Help a fellow fan with her dissertation project!

What? A recorded focus group at Escapade, lasting an hour.

What for? My PhD dissertation project. You don’t have to use your real name, and all information will be anonymized.

When? Friday 2/21 from noon to 1pm in Catalina.

I don’t know… You can email me at genme AT upenn DOT edu with any questions.

Alright, what now? Take the 6-minute onboarding survey! (www.tinyurl.com/fanpol)

Quick Q&A

Who are you? Megan Genovese, aka anselm0 on AO3. I’m a PhD candidate in Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. My Penn grad student profile is the first result on a Google search of my name.

What if I’m not very political? That’s okay! I’m hoping to hear a range of opinions and perspectives. Regardless whether you live and breathe politics or haven’t voted before, as long as you are an American adult, I’m interested in what you have to say.

What kind of recording? The focus group will be videotaped. This is only to help me transcribe the session, so I can tell who is speaking when. Your image, the recording, and the full transcript will not be shared with anybody.

Would I have to do anything besides the interview? You also need to take the onboarding survey and sign a consent form. The former is for additional data and practical logistics, and the latter is so I can use the data you give me legally and ethically.

Will I have to use my real name on the consent form? Nope, you can use any name you want. It’ll be the same name associated with your interview transcript, which only I will see. Whether you use your legal name or a pseud on the consent form, I’ll give you another pseudonym in the write-up.

Why does the survey ask about income and race and all? The demographic and political questions are there to help me get an idea of who signs up for this project as a group. Your answers will not be shared with anybody, or associated with your interview, or considered individually in any way.

What if I take the survey/sign the form and then change my mind? No hard feelings! :)