Virtual EthnographySAGE Publications Ltd, 2000 M04 4 - 192 pages Cutting though the exaggerated and fanciful beliefs about the new possibilities of `net life′, Hine produces a distinctive understanding of the significance of the Internet and addresses such questions as: what challenges do the new technologies of communication pose for research methods? Does the Internet force us to rethink traditional categories of `culture′ and `society′? In this compelling and thoughtful book, Hine shows that the Internet is both a site for cultural formations and a cultural artefact which is shaped by people′s understandings and expectations. The Internet requires a new form of ethnography. The author considers the shape of this new ethnography and guides readers through its application in multiple settings. |
Contents
1 | |
14 | |
3 The Virtual Objects of Ethnography | 41 |
4 The Making of a Virtual Ethnography | 67 |
5 Time Space and Technology | 83 |
6 Authenticity and Identity in Internet Contexts | 118 |
7 Reflection | 147 |
Glossary of Internet Terms | 157 |
References | 163 |
Index | 175 |
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Common terms and phrases
accounts activities alt.true-crime analysis appropriate audience authenticity performance authors boundaries bounded social campaign challenge Chapter claims communication connections construction context coverage cultural artefact cyberspace de®ned de®nition dejanews designers developers discourse discourse analysis electronic ethno ethnographic ethnographic approach experience explore face-to-face focus focusing identity performance identity play Internet as culture Internet service providers interpretive exibility Louise Woodward Louise's lurkers mass media meaningful messages newsgroup postings object of®cial online settings organization orientation participants particular poster postmodern potential practices problems produced questions re¯ection re¯exivity readers relationships relevant search engine seen sense signi®cance situationally social relations social spaces space of ows speci®c statements strategies suggests support sites television temporal collage topic understanding updated Usenet users virtual ethnography visitors web designers web developers web pages Woolgar World Wide Web