ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces a new type of methodology called the fluid inquiry to explore how young people navigate public spaces in the era of rapidly changing technology. A fluid inquiry is a creative methodology with an open-ended framework that privileges the concept of mobility and explores the connections between youth, public spaces, and the virtual world. Using skateboarding, a ‘traditional’ youth activity in U.S. public places, and Pokémon GO, an augmented reality mobile application of virtual creature-hunting, this chapter includes: (a) a discussion of the current need for a fluid inquiry for researching youth activities in the public space, (b) an illustration of the steps of this method, and (c) condensed findings from a case study where the fluid inquiry was used to explore the youth connections with public spaces where they engaged in activities situated in the fuzzy boundaries between real and virtual worlds.
