Week 4 Lecture Reflection

The week four lecture focused upon ethnographic methodologies and how they can be used to research online communities. The lecturer, John Banks, also went into detail about his own ethnographic research with Auran. The main things I learnt from the lecture were the key characteristics of ethnographic research such as it involving participant observation, extended periods of time, a particular cultural site and most importantly that it is not neutral. I also learnt about the stages of ethnographic research and how important access to the field is, which involves ethical clearances and ‘gatekeepers’. In relation to researching online communities the argument of Daniel Miller and Don Slater was outlined; the Internet does not exist out in space, rather it exists within people’s homes, and effects how people interact within their culture. The material covered in the lecture is relevant to the current expansion and revolution of the Internet, its use and online communities. An interesting detail that John presented was that his ethnographic research began as just observation but then his findings and reports started to have influence within the company and his research then became participation, not just observation.