Abstract
Despite the central value of anonymity in 12-step groups, depictions of 12-step recovery are appearing with increasing frequency in popular media. Main characters in television shows and films attend 12-step recovery meetings, and public figures such as Zac Efron, Marc Maron, and Alanis Morrissette openly make their involvement part of their artistic work. In recent years, podcasts and online databases containing stories of recovering individuals as told at anonymous meetings have gained popularity, allowing 12-step recovery stories to extend beyond the boundaries of an in-person gathering. Because of the anonymity of these groups, studies of 12-step discourse have been spotty and not particularly well connected (Daniell, 2003; Jones, 2014; Kurtz, 1979; O’Halloran, 2008; Swora, 2004), but times are changing. My study focuses on the computational psycholinguistic analysis of 30 recovery stories publicly available on the Overeaters Anonymous Los Angeles Intergroup website, combined with an in-depth qualitative analysis of nine 12-step stories. This study has elucidated tensions between public and private, assemblage and individual identity, and data-driven analytics and qualitative research. My work addresses how assemblage theory (Bennett, 2005; McNely & Rivers, 2014; Spinuzzi, 2004) can help us make ethical decisions to protect privacy, honor individual lived experience, and apply empirical methods when working with partially-private, partially-public source materials. As we hold a conference in a partially-virtual space, the discussion also will build on studies such as Miller’s 2007 study of automated video speech assessment to explore how recording technologies mediate and complicate translations of in-person kairotic moments onto recorded media.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Data-driven, Assemblage, Psycholinguistic Analysis, Privacy, Digital Media
