L’éthique Comme Méthode En Communication

What are the implications of leading a research project related to different digital platforms ? There are some conceptual and methodological choices to make as well as technical hurdles to be aware of. To answer this question, central to research in information-communication, we present the practices developed during a research project related to crowdfunding. These practices aim to adapt our method to the standardisation of platforms and to the ethical foundations of social science research, such as anonymity and consent. Researchers process data produced by end-users in some context. This context is of paramount importance to interpret data without betraying the intentions of the subject producing them. The necessary skills for anonymising data sets are a matter of tinkering and require computer skills to overcome the shortcomings of the platforms. Eventually we would like to highlight that the ethical practices described in this paper often remain invisible and informal even though they condition the interpretation of the results and their reliability.