Co-constructing Meaning and Negotiating Participation: Ethical Tensions when ‘Giving Voice’ through Digital Storytelling

Abstract This article reflects on the process of conducting a project that involved creating digital stories with people who are predominately housebound, and sharing the stories on a public display at a community event. The project aimed to ‘give voice’ to people who are normally invisible in their community, and to explore the role of digital technologies in helping to foster social inclusion for people who are housebound. We explore how the meaning of the stories was co-constructed by multiple stakeholders and interrogate the aim of ‘giving voice,’ which was complicated by the mediating role we played in crafting and sharing the stories. We reflect on how notions of participation had to be negotiated in light of our participants’ experiences and abilities. By reflecting on how participation and construction of meaning were configured in this project, we contribute to ongoing discussion about the relationship between designers/researchers and participants in participatory and sensitive human–computer interaction (HCI).