Action camera: First person perspective or hybrid in motion?

Abstract

In this article, we discuss the usage of action cameras in research. First, we elaborate on the idea of the camera providing a first-person perspective, possibly giving access to the research participant’s subjectivity, and discuss this critically. Our discussion of these issues is based on data that was produced in two different research settings where action cameras were distributed to groups of students; one setting was an outdoor museum and the other a classroom. Second, we examine how using the action camera in research creates different hybrids involving the camera, the person carrying it, and both present and absent others. These hybridization processes become evident in different ways. We argue that the camera is treated as a hybrid in four different forms. Arguing with these hybrids enables us to more adequately highlight aspects of the research process than understanding the action camera as providing a first-person-perspective.