Four provocations for rich digital ethnographic research situated in social media networks

Abstract

Scholars engaging in social media research involving direct observation of users draw from a range of research methods, each with their own benefits and challenges. From an ethical perspective, research that engages with direct observation of user experiences and practices on these platforms exposes the investigator to a range of content which may have been intended for a private or semi-public audience, further complicating already debated ethical positions into what is considered ‘public’ content. This paper presents four provocations from a digital ethnography into user agency and practices on these platforms to demonstrate how direct observation methods can be practically implemented to ensure an ethical approach to data collection. It highlights how the distribution principle of contextual integrity can be used to guide the development of collection methods where content from participant’s networked connections is unavoidable, and where informed consent is unfeasible to obtain from these social media users.