Virtual Ethnography
Author | : Christine Hine |
Publisher | : SAGE |
Total Pages | : 188 |
Release | : 2000-04-04 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781847876492 |
ISBN-13 | : 1847876498 |
Rating | : 4/5 (92 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: 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.