"Online ethnography (also known as virtual ethnography or digital ethnography) is an online research method that adapts ethnographic methods to the study of the communities and cultures created through computer-mediated social interaction."
The study of cultures and social organizations from the perspective of the people involved. Ethnography is useful for understanding how people use virtual environments in different contexts.
Anthropology: Understanding the basic principles and concepts of anthropology is important to grasp the basics of ethnography. This includes the history, theories, methods and cultural diversity of humans.
Ethnography: Studying ethnography involves learning about various techniques for conducting fieldwork, data analysis, and interpreting results. It also includes an understanding of the strengths and limitations of ethnographic research.
Virtual Anthropology: Virtual anthropology deals with the use of technology to conduct ethnographic research. It includes the study of virtual communities, online ethnography, and digital media.
Fieldwork: Fieldwork involves the collection of data through observation, interviews, and surveys in the community or culture being studied. This includes the planning, implementation, and analysis of data.
Participant observation: Participant observation is an important part of ethnography that involves immersing oneself in the culture being studied to gain a deeper understanding of it.
Ethnographic interviews: Ethnographic interviews involve qualitative research methods such as conversational interviews that are mostly unstructured, open-ended and flexible.
Ethnographic writing: Ethnographic writing is the process of summarizing research data in a comprehensive and engaging manner. This often includes the use of descriptive language, depictions of lived experiences, and reflection on cultural insights.
Cultural relativism: Cultural relativism is the concept of evaluating and understanding other cultures within their own context, rather than through the lens of one's own culture.
Reflexivity: Reflexivity involves reflecting on the cultural, social, and political biases and assumptions of the researcher and how they may be influencing the research process and results.
Ethics: Ethical consideration regarding informed consent, confidentiality, privacy, and the use of sensitive data is key when conducting ethnographic research.
Data analysis: Data Analysis is the process of collecting, organizing, and analyzing ethnographic data collected from participants.
Research design: Research design involves planning and developing a research study, selecting the right tools to use to collect data and determining how these data are to be analyzed.
Interdisciplinary approaches: Ethnography is an interdisciplinary field that draws from a range of disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, psychology, and linguistics. It includes learning about how these different fields contribute to ethnographic research.
Cultural theory: Cultural theory deals with the study and interpretation of cultures from different perspectives, including the cultural symbols, norms, and traditions within various societies.
The role of language: Learning about the role of language in ethnographic research is important as it influences the way researchers observe, converse and report their findings.
Cultural change: Cultural change is the study of how cultural practices evolve over time and the factors that lead to that evolution.
Anthropological theory: Anthropological theory encompasses a broad range of theories that try to explain human behaviour both at individual and societal levels.
Comparing cultures: Comparing cultures involves analyzing similarities and differences between different cultures and the impact of these differences on the societies being studied.
Contextualizing research: Contextualizing research requires understanding the social, political, and economic context in which ethnographic research is being conducted.
Anthropological ethics: Anthropological ethics deals with the ethical considerations and responsibilities of anthropologists when collecting and analyzing data in the field.
Participant observation: This is a type of ethnography where the researcher immerses themselves in the culture they are studying, engaging in the activities and behaviors of the community.
Collaborative ethnography: This is a type of ethnography where the researcher works closely with the community being studied, co-creating knowledge and research together.
Autoethnography: This is a type of ethnography where the researcher reflects on their personal experiences and emotions within a cultural context, making themselves the subject of the research.
Reflexive ethnography: This is a type of ethnography where the researcher reflects on their own positionality and biases throughout the research process and how these factors may impact their understanding of the culture they are studying.
Ethnodrama: This is a type of ethnography where the researcher uses drama or theater as a way of exploring and representing the culture they are studying.
Digital ethnography: This is a type of ethnography where the researcher uses digital technologies, such as social media platforms or online communities, to study and understand culture.
Multi-sited ethnography: This is a type of ethnography where the researcher studies a dispersed community that spreads across different locations, tracing the connections and relationships that exist between them.
Critical ethnography: This is a type of ethnography that seeks to explore social inequalities and power dynamics within a cultural context, with the intention of producing social change.
Visual ethnography: This is a type of ethnography where the researcher uses visual media, such as photography or film, to study and communicate cultural practices and traditions.
Applied ethnography: This is a type of ethnography where the researcher uses their findings to make recommendations or solve problems within a particular community or organization.
"As modifications of the term ethnography, cyber-ethnography, online ethnography and virtual ethnography (as well as many other methodological neologisms) designate particular variations regarding the conduct of online fieldwork that adapts ethnographic methodology."
"There is no canonical approach to cyber-ethnography that prescribes how ethnography is adapted to the online setting. Instead individual researchers are left to specify their own adaptations."
"Netnography is another form of online ethnography or cyber-ethnography with more specific sets of guidelines and rules, and a common multidisciplinary base of literature and scholars."
"This article is not about a particular neologism, but the general application of ethnographic methods to online fieldwork as practiced by anthropologists, sociologists, and other scholars."