Paper Number
1174
Paper Type
Complete Research Paper
Abstract
Existing research on digital safe spaces has concentrated predominantly on the challenges associated with designing and setting up these spaces and the tactics employed to oversee participant conduct and safeness. However, there is a gap in our understanding of the process involved in cultivating these spaces to ensure participants’ perceived safety and safeness. This research investigates the cultivation process of such a digital space designed as an event for minority groups and women interested in video game development. We found three main phases in cultivating digital spaces. We refer to these as preparing, fostering, and fallowing. While preparing and fostering have been identified in previous research, fallowing—defined as a temporal resting period—has received little prior recognition in research. We develop a process model explaining the three phases of cultivation and their respective characteristics and develop implications for research on marginalization and digital safe spaces.
Recommended Citation
Ruiz-Bravo, Nadia Valentina; Selander, Lisen; and Roshan, Maryam, "Preparing, Fostering, and Fallowing: Cultivating Digital Safe Spaces" (2024). ECIS 2024 Proceedings. 1.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2024/track24_socialmedia/track24_socialmedia/1
Preparing, Fostering, and Fallowing: Cultivating Digital Safe Spaces
Existing research on digital safe spaces has concentrated predominantly on the challenges associated with designing and setting up these spaces and the tactics employed to oversee participant conduct and safeness. However, there is a gap in our understanding of the process involved in cultivating these spaces to ensure participants’ perceived safety and safeness. This research investigates the cultivation process of such a digital space designed as an event for minority groups and women interested in video game development. We found three main phases in cultivating digital spaces. We refer to these as preparing, fostering, and fallowing. While preparing and fostering have been identified in previous research, fallowing—defined as a temporal resting period—has received little prior recognition in research. We develop a process model explaining the three phases of cultivation and their respective characteristics and develop implications for research on marginalization and digital safe spaces.
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