Research Paradigm

In visual social research, preservation choices depend on how visual materials were understood in the original study and on the epistemological assumptions guiding their production, selection, and interpretation. Visuals can serve as records, prompts, co-created materials, or context-dependent traces of social interaction. Consequently, they do not all require the same forms of preservation, documentation, or future accessibility. 

The selected research paradigm determines what must be archived to keep visual data meaningful over time. Sometimes, preserving just the image or video file is not enough because the research value also lies in the surrounding context: reflexive notes, methodological explanations, analytical annotations, consent conditions, or descriptions of the interaction through which the visual was produced. Without this additional documentation, archived visuals may become disconnected from the original interpretive framework.