TY - JOUR
T1 - Ethical considerations and challenges for using digital ethnography to research vulnerable populations
AU - Thompson, Alex
AU - Stringfellow, Lindsay
AU - Maclean, Mairi
AU - Nazzal, Amal
PY - 2021/1/5
Y1 - 2021/1/5
N2 - The social technologies of the web permit new techniques of research to emerge, often with novel ethical challenges. One such technique is digital ethnography. While there is a robust literature associated with digital approaches to ethnography, there is a lack of development in how digital ethnography can be used when researching vulnerable populations. This article seeks to clarify these methodological considerations, addressing the role of the researcher, data representation, and the ethical considerations necessary to research vulnerable consumers. We consider the various roles that digital ethnography can play in understanding emerging forms of social order in vulnerable consumer contexts, in generating social knowledge that is nuanced, participative, holistic, and practically orientated. We highlight a selection of the core issues concerning the use, practice and dissemination of digital ethnographic research available to social researchers, and how the incorporation of such methods can invigorate research on vulnerable consumers with new methodological innovations.
AB - The social technologies of the web permit new techniques of research to emerge, often with novel ethical challenges. One such technique is digital ethnography. While there is a robust literature associated with digital approaches to ethnography, there is a lack of development in how digital ethnography can be used when researching vulnerable populations. This article seeks to clarify these methodological considerations, addressing the role of the researcher, data representation, and the ethical considerations necessary to research vulnerable consumers. We consider the various roles that digital ethnography can play in understanding emerging forms of social order in vulnerable consumer contexts, in generating social knowledge that is nuanced, participative, holistic, and practically orientated. We highlight a selection of the core issues concerning the use, practice and dissemination of digital ethnographic research available to social researchers, and how the incorporation of such methods can invigorate research on vulnerable consumers with new methodological innovations.
KW - Digital ethnography
KW - Data analysis
KW - Ethics
KW - Participant observation
KW - Research design
KW - Vulnerable consumers
KW - Sustainability
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.02.025
DO - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.02.025
M3 - Article
SN - 0148-2963
VL - 124
SP - 676
EP - 683
JO - Journal of Business Research
JF - Journal of Business Research
ER -