Digital Ethnography

Zheng Qianwen——35178672

In the article of this week, Boellstorff (2012) tries to rethink digital in digital anthropology, which he considers as a research method. After challenging the boundaries between virtual and real, he provided complete theoretical support for digital ethnography. In the classic ethnographic analysis of the “Second Life” case study in the second part, the author recounts his experience in the virtual world of the game. By selecting some dialogues with other game players, digital ethnography could be used as the research method. Boellstorff (2012) believes that in each case he has encountered more meaningful traces, which reflect a rethinking of digital anthropology.

In addition, Boellstorff (2012) proved in the first case that digital ethnography focuses on observation. As he mentioned earlier, the focus of digital ethnography is observation. In this case, the author found valid data by observing this conversation, which cannot be obtained through interviews or other methods, and it also reflects the practice of online and offline participation observation. For example, in this conversation, the game player “Sam” teaches “Susan” how to manipulate characters through the “More” and “Content” buttons, which allows the author to draw the first conclusion from observation, “First, residents worked together to educate each other rather than relying on the company that owns Second Life or some kind of instruction manual. “(Boellstorff, 2012:46)

In the third part, the author expounds two crucial theories, indexicality as a core theory for digital anthropology, and participant observation as the core method for digital anthropology. This also gives me some enlightenment. First, some expressions of a language in different contexts of language use have different meanings, which is indexicality. Therefore, analysis should be performed in the context of determining the language background to ensure the accuracy of the analysis content. Second, except some of the more traditional methods obtaining valid data, such as interviews. Participatory observation, as in the first case study, can be closer to the surveyed person. For example, the author’s case analysis is to participate in the game, talk directly to other players, and obtain data purposefully, often with inspiration.

In this reading, Boellstorff (2012) also highlights the advantages of digital ethnography as a research method. On the one hand, digital anthropology provides a way to combine online and offline research methods with neither separating their boundaries either blurring their boundaries. On the other hand, digital anthropology can overcome time and play an essential role in investigating both past and present.

Reference:

Boellstorff, T. 2012. Rethinking digital anthropology. Digital anthropology, ed by Heather A. Horst and Daniel Miller. 1st ed. London: Berg. Pp.39-60