At the most basic level of an impact approach, we might ask how our methods of data collection impact humans, directly. If one is interviewing, or the data is visibly connected to a person, this is easy to see. But a distance principle might help us recognize that when the data is very distant from where it originated, it can seem disconnected from persons, or what some regulators call ‘human subjects.’ (Annette Markham, "OKCupid data release fiasco: It’s time to rethink ethics education," 2016, emphasis added)
Some commonly blurred definitions:
- “Human subjects”
- Public vs. Private
- Data(Text) vs. Persons
A working definition of the “distance principle”:
the extent to which Internet texts or data sets might connect to persons [even when] the conceptual or experiential distance between the researcher and author/participant [does not appear to be] close (Annette Markam & Elizabeth Buchanon, “Ethical Concerns in Internet Research”, page 10)
Image source: A still image from "A real person, a lot like you" by Derek Sivers, shared here with his permission.