Internet Research II

Also discussed in class: Industrial Ethnography, Industry-related/sponsored research.

Readings:

Beaulieu, Anne. (2004). Mediating Ethnography: Objectivity and the Making of Ethnographies of the Internet. Social Epistemology 18(2-3): 139-163. On moodle.

Hine book Ch. 5 (Sanders: Researching the Online Sex Work Community).

Hine book Ch. 10 (Guimarães: Doing Anthropology in Cyberspace).

Williams, Dmitri & Xiong, Li. (forthcoming). Herding Cats Online: Real Studies of Virtual Communities. From: E. Hargittai (ed.), Title TBA. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. On moodle.

Hine book Ch. 14 (Jankowski & van Selm: Methodological Concerns and Innovations in Internet Research).

Today's Question: Propose a new research design related to a problem you are interested in that employs one of the Internet methods mentioned this week. Please be sure your design is related to an interesting question or problem. (N.B.: Unlike the other methods we have discussed so far, ethnographic projects are not usually thought of as "designed." If you want to use ethnography or a mixed-methods project that includes it, you might need to discuss anticipated problems and benefits rather than propose an ethnographic "design" linked to a specific problem. Use your judgment.)

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