ABSTRACT

In light of the sociomaterial account of meaning developed in Chapter 3, this chapter considers the challenges of approaching research into digital communication from a sociomaterial perspective. Part of the contribution of sociomaterialism has been to highlight that research processes do not simply investigate practices and ways of knowing but they also help to sustain them. With reference to our own and others’ methodological approaches, we expand on the ways in which research plays into practice. We reflect on a series of challenges that are likely to intensify as new communicative practices continue to diversify, and as texts and technologies interweave with human activity in ever more complex ways. We end by considering how research processes may intervene positively with educational practice involving literacy and digital technologies.