Ethnography: Online Ethnography
Online ethnography involves observing websites, blogs, discussion boards, and all manner of social networking media to help shape our understanding of how an audience interacts and communicates on the web. An online medium permits a greater degree of anonymity and freedom for many individuals who monitor and filter their thoughts and opinions throughout their day-to-day lives. As such, when individuals express thoughts, fears, opinions, and questions through an online forum, they are often more candid and unedited than they may be on a daily basis. In addition, an online forum provides a sense of community, allowing individuals to benefit from the knowledge of the society as a whole.
For more information on W5’s other ethnographic approaches, please see Observation and Intercept Interviewing.