W2: Kozinets et al. - Netnographic analysis: understanding culture through social media data

Question 1

Netnography

Answer 1

Internet ethnography
Shares the same elements as ethnography: is flexible and researchers can explore diverse and cultural worlds
Mean difference: netnography is based on online matters, looks at computer-mediated communications and you can get information from elicited and non-felicitated data
Often have to observe more with netnography

Question 2

Main characteristics of netnography in field data

Answer 2

Increased field site accessibility
Increased communicative variety
Communication connectedness across multiple forms/fields
Auto-archiving

Question 3

Increased field site accessibility

Answer 3

explosion of social media offers a virtually borderless environment where geographically dispersed people can meet and communicate

Question 4

Increased communicative variety

Answer 4

You can text, call, video call, be anonymous, etc.

Question 5

Communication connectedness across multiple forms/fields

Answer 5

Complexity though
You can talk on multiple sites, between multiple community members and you can easily post and share content on multiple platforms

Question 6

Auto-archiving

Answer 6

Constant way of automatic saving, sorting, classifying and archiving of media

Question 7

Challenges of netnographic fieldwork

Answer 7

Making false distinctions between online and offline social worlds: difficult to get a complete view as you only see online behavior
Epistemological & pragmatic questions: internet provides access to so much data, face challenge of data overload, identification nd classification of data can be challenging

Question 8

Netnography considerations and steps

Answer 8

Preparing for data collections and cultural entree
Collecting and creating the data
Performing ethical research
Conducting an insightful and trustworthy analysis
Representing the data analysis in a meaningful and appropriate manner

Question 9

Preparing for data collections and cultural entree

Answer 9

Have a relevant RQ
Field you study should have higher traffic of postings
Field you study must have a larger number of discrete message posters
It should also have more detailed or descriptively rich data
Should have more between-member interactions of the apes required by the RQ

Question 10

Collecting and creating the data

Answer 10

To record online data you can:
copy-paste content of a forum post into a document
Capture a screenshot of data using a program
Data can be texts, images, video, layout, logo, websites, etc.

Question 11

Performing ethical research

Answer 11

Informed consent is the main challenge as well as the potential benefits and risks to individuals and communities
You need to ensure privacy