My research is focussed at the intersection of Media Content, Media Technology and Media Use -- what might be called, “Media Informatics”
Prior to my appointment as the Velma Rogers Graham Chair in News, Media and New Technology at Ryerson University, my research was focused primarily in the broad area of image/video retrieval. Specifically, my research sought to identify and exploit image attributes for image retrieval through studies of Image Representation and studies of Image Searching. These are not always distinct areas of exploration as the manner in which humans represent images is often bound up with the manner in which humans seek out images and vice-versa.
More recently, in response to both opportunities and challenges presented by my current position, I have expanded upon my primary research focus to include studies exploring the practice of journalism and news media making. This new area of research has not taken the place of my primary research focus, but has instead provided a parallel stream from which I am able to draw new epistemological connections, and new opportunities for collaboration.
In general, my research approach has been to test and concretize conceptual and theoretical analysis with empirical research. My specific method of investigation relies predominantly on content, concept, and discourse analysis of artifacts of communication, and image seeking behaviors such as news articles, news broadcasts, and news websites, queries, web links, transaction logs, and metadata. I also make use of surveys, interviews, and verbal protocols to explore user’s information and image seeking processes.
