Keywords
Empathic-Somatic Approach, phenomenology, digital technology research, embodied methodology, lived experience, intercorporeality, qualitative research design
Abstract
This conceptual paper proposes the Empathic-Somatic Approach as a methodological contribution for conducting phenomenological research on digital technology experiences. The Empathic-Somatic Approach does not replace existing phenomenological methods but enriches them by operationalizing the insight that we understand others through our own bodies as instruments of empathy. The paper first establishes the essential philosophical and methodological foundations of phenomenology needed to situate this contribution, then develops the Empathic-Somatic Approach in detail, and finally provides practical guidance for its implementation in digital technology research. This approach offers researchers in fields such as human-computer interaction, digital health, and information systems a principled way to uncover the embodied, habitual, and often invisible dimensions of living with technology.
Recommended Citation
Bimpong, Bismark Wiafe; Bimpong, William Kesse; and Kwakye, Mercy Egyir
(2026)
"Using Phenomenology to Investigate Digital Experience: An Empathic-Somatic Approach,"
Mid-Western Educational Researcher: Vol. 38:
Iss.
1, Article 14.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/mwer/vol38/iss1/14
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