Tag Archives: Online Ethnography

Coursenotes: SOCI221 – Sociology of Cyberspace, Meeting 9

SOCI221 – Sociology of Cyberspace

Meeting 9: November 10, 2014
Generations to Ethnography

Digital Natives?

Bronislaw Malinowski with natives on Trobriand Islands in 1918. (Public domain)

Last Week

Generations

Activity: Knapsacks

  • Features of privilege
  • Intersectionality
  • Online privilege

Required Texts

Digital Natives?

  • Us/Them
  • Birthyear
  • Early access and comfort?
  • Residents and visitors

Next Week

Ethnography

Ethics

Ethnography

Descriptive approach to cultural diversity. – Alex

  • Fieldwork
  • Establishing rapport
  • Insider and outsider
  • Participant-observation
  • Cultural translation (making exotic familiar and familiar exotic)

Activity: Field Entry

  • Select an online group (forum, network, service, community) of which you’re not a member.
  • From the outside, take some notes about features of that group, how it works, what seem to be unspoken rules, etc.
  • Enter the group, introducing yourself to everyone. Notice reactions. Are you able to establish rapport?
  • Post a description of the group and your fieldwork

Required Text

Coleman, E. Gabriella. “Ethnographic Approaches to Digital Media.” Annual Review of Anthropology 39, no. 1 (October 21, 2010): 487–505. doi:10.1146/annurev.anthro.012809.104945.

  • Review article (like annotated bibliography or metastudy)
  • Recent research
  • Diversity
  • Program for future research