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An Ethnographic Study on Online Communities in Saudi Arabia

Published on October 4, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, culture traditions, cyberanthropology, fieldwork / methods, internet, journal articles / papers, Middle East

Forum: Qualitative Social Research (FQS)

The aim of this article is to discuss the lessons learned from conducting semi-structured interviews online in an ethnographic study that took place in Saudi Arabia during the period 2001-2002.

The purpose of the study was to explore individuals’ participation in online communities in Saudi Arabia and also understand how online communities in Saudi Arabia are affecting participants’ offline culture. Semi-structured online interviews were used to report the perceptions of 15 participants (8 females, 7 males) about their online community experience in Saudi Arabia. >> continue

PS: This article is part of the 16th Issue of the open-access journal “Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research” (FQS) that now is available online.

Forum: Qualitative Social Research (FQS)

The aim of this article is to discuss the lessons learned from conducting semi-structured interviews online in an ethnographic study that took place in Saudi Arabia during the period 2001-2002.

The purpose of the study was to…

Ethnographic Study About Life Without Internet: Feelings of Loss and Frustration

Published on September 22, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, corporate & business anthropology, cyberanthropology, internet

Press Release

All participants in the qualitative portion of the study found living without the Internet more difficult than they expected, and in some cases impossible, because the tools and services the Internet offers were firmly ingrained in their daily lives. Nearly half the respondents in a complementary quantitative study indicated they could not go without the Internet for more than two weeks and the median time respondents could go without being online is five days.

The qualitative portion of the study, fielded by Conifer Research, consisted of an ethnographic study in which participants chronicled their lives without the Internet for a period of two weeks. The study provided a deep view into the emotional connections consumers have with the Internet as the medium that helps them drive their lives.

Regardless of age, household income or ethnic background, all participants in the ethnographic research study experienced withdrawal and feelings of loss, frustration and disconnectedness when cut off from the online world. Users described their time offline as ‘feeling left out of the loop,’and missing their ‘private escape time’ during the day. The survey findings demonstrate that a larger circle of social networks have developed as a result of Web access. >> continue (LINK UPDATED)

Press Release

“Netnography,” – faster and cheaper ethnography on the Internet

Published on September 15, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, applied anthropology, corporate & business anthropology, cyberanthropology, fieldwork / methods, internet, technology

Karen Lee, University of Texas at Austin

“Netnography,” coined from ‘ethnography on the Internet,’ is an emerging qualitative research methodology adapting ethnographic research techniques to the study of cultures and communities constructed through the Internet. It uses information that is publicly available in online forums to identify and understand the needs and decision influences of relevant online consumer groups. Compared with traditional and market-oriented ethnography, netnography is far less time consuming and elaborate >> continue

Karen Lee, University of Texas at Austin

"Netnography," coined from 'ethnography on the Internet,' is an emerging qualitative research methodology adapting ethnographic research techniques to the study of cultures and communities constructed through the Internet. It uses information that is publicly…

Cultures of Music Piracy: An Ethnographic Comparison of the US and Japan

Published on July 22, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, cyberanthropology, fieldwork / methods, music, technology

Marc Erickson, channels.lockergnome.com

Ian Condry:

“What is this culture of piracy and what is at stake in trying to change it? In this essay, I take an ethnographic look at music file sharing, and compare the situation in the US with Japan. My findings are based on fieldwork in Tokyo, and surveys and discussions with US college students. By considering the ways social dynamics and cultural orientations guide uses of digital media technology, I argue that a legal and political focus on ‘piracy’ ignores crucial aspects of file sharing, and is misleading in the assumptions it makes for policy.”

>>continue incl link to original text (31 pages, 3,8MB!)(via flitzlog.blogspot.com and Voelkerkunde-Forum Wien)

Marc Erickson, channels.lockergnome.com

Ian Condry: "What is this culture of piracy and what is at stake in trying to change it? In this essay, I take an ethnographic look at music file sharing, and compare the situation in the US with…