I have been so caught up with my ethnography assignment that I completely forgot to do a blog post this week. I am enjoying looking at Kozinets’ (2010) description of different online participation traits. It has made me approach the task a lot more critically perhaps also brings into question the way in which I participate within various online communities.
I participate frequently on forums and social networking sites such as Reddit and regularly leave the occasional comment on YouTube. In these particular instances I would describe myself as a ‘Devotee’ – a participant who has relatively superficial social experiences and focuses predominantly on the main topics within the forum. I have no desire for relationship building within these spaces and remain on the fringes of social interaction.
The ethnography task brings me into the realm of being a ‘Lurker’ which Kozinets describes as being an observer with the potential of becoming a ‘Newbie’. Newbies are those people characterized by low social ties and low interest in a particular topic within an online community. I was content with being the lurker but I must admit my interest is piqued and I feel I want more. I find myself being constantly drawn in by the conversations, themes and topics fostered within the MOOC I chose.
After I move into this sort of space would it be harder for me to undertake a digital ethnographic study if I get myself too involved within the community? And would it necessarily skew the objectivity of my study?
These are some of the questions I will need to explore and will address within my ethnographic study.
References:
Kozinets, R. V., (2010) “Understanding Culture Online” from Kozinets, Robert V.,Netnography : doing ethnographic research online pp.21-40, London: Sage