Internet Research Methods: A Canadian Perspective

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Internet Research Methods A Canadian Perspective

• Dr. Norm Friesen Dr. Maria Bakardjieva
• June 22, 2007

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Goals

• To introduce students to existing approaches in
  Internet research combining theoretical,
  epistemological and methodological aspects and
  issues,
• Emphasis on the ways that these have been studied
  by Canadian researchers.

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Schedule (1 of 4)

• June 22
• Introductions
• Course overview
• Introducing the Internet through network
  neutrality
• Blog access
• Web analytics as Internet research (server
  activity)
• New Web Technologies
• Qualitative vs. Quantitative research

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Schedule (2 of 4)

• June 23
• Review technical questions answers
• Online discussion in Canadian research
• Critique "Digital Diploma mills"
• Genre as a way of studying Internet comm.
• Internet Myths
• Critical theory
• Discursive analysis

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Schedule (3 of 4)

• June 29
• Review of main principles of social research
• The research process
• Paradigms in social theory
• Methodology and methods
• The Internet as an object of research
• Choosing a theoretical approach
• delimiting the research object
• asking research questions
• choosing a methodology
• designing a study

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Schedule (4 of 4)

• June 30
• Research methods and their Internet counterparts.
  The researcher-respondent relationship on the
  Internet.
• Virtual communities and their ethnographies
  principles and examples
• The ethics of virtual research.
• Network Analysis  principles and examples
• Studying Internet Users
• Studying the Internet in everyday life

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Readings (1 of 2)

• Hine, C. (2005). The Virtual Objects of
  Ethnography. In Hine, C. (Ed.) Virtual Method
  Issues in Social Research on the Internet.
  Oxford Berg. 
• Kivits, J. (2005). Online interviewing and the
  research relationship. In Hine, C. (Ed.) Virtual
  Method Issues in Social Research on the
  Internet. Oxford Berg. 
• Mackay, H. (2005). New connections, familiar
  settings issues in the ethnographic study of new
  media use at home. In Hine, C. (Ed.) Virtual
  Method Issues in Social Research on the
  Internet. Oxford Berg. 

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Readings (2 of 2)

• Rutter, J. Smith, G. W. H. (2005). Ethnographic
  presence in a nebulous setting. In Hine, C. (Ed.)
  Virtual Method Issues in Social Research on the
  Internet. Oxford Berg. 
• Schneider, S. M. (2005). Web sphere analysis an
  approach to studying online action. In Hine, C.
  (Ed.) Virtual Method Issues in Social Research
  on the Internet. Oxford Berg.
• Orgad, S. (2005). From online to offline and
  back moving from online to offline relationships
  with research informants. In Hine, C. (Ed.)
  Virtual Method Issues in Social Research on the
  Internet. Oxford Berg.

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Recommended Readings (1 of 3)

• Bakardjieva, M. (2005). Researching the Internet
  at Home. Chapter 3 from Bakardjieva, M.,
  Internet Society The Internet in Everyday Life.
  London Sage. 
• Bakardjieva, M. (2003). Virtual togetherness an
  everyday-life perspective. New Media Society.
  253 291313. 
• Ess, M. (2002). Introduction. Ethics and
  Information Technology 4 177188, 2002.

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Recommended Readings (2 of 3)

• Garton, L., Haythornthwaite, C. Wellman, B.
  (1998). Studying On-line Social Networks. In
  Jones, S. Doing Internet Research Critical
  Methods and Issues for Studying the Net. London
  Sage. 
• Hurrell, C. (2006, January 10). Civility in
  Online Discussion The Case of the Foreign Policy
  Dialogue. Canadian Journal of Communication
  Online, 30(4). Available http//www.cjc-online.
  ca/viewarticle.php?id1529.

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Recommended Readings (3 of 3)

• Markham, A. N. (2004) "The Internet as Research
  Context" in Qualitative Research Practice,
  (Seale, C., J. F. Gubrium, D. Silverman and G.
  Gobo eds) Sage Publications, London Thousand
  Oaks, Calif., pp. xix, 620 p. http//faculty.uvi.e
  du/users/amarkha/writing/Seale.htm
• Stern, S.R. (2003). Encountering distressing
  information in online research a consideration
  of legal and ethical responsibilities. New Media
  Society. 5(2)249266
• Wittel, A. (2000) Ethnography on the Move From
  Field to Net to Internet. Forum Qualitative
  Social Research Volume 1, No. 1 2000, January.
  In Englishhttp//www.qualitative-research.net/fq
  s-texte/1-00/1-00wittel-e.htm Auf Deutsch(!)
  http//www.qualitative-research.net/fqs-texte/1-00
  /1-00wittel-d.htm

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Canadian Context Internet Studies Emphases

• Emphasis on
• Bridging geographical distances
• Federal provincial government support for this
• Strong connections between research and economy
  pragmatic
• Emphasis on politics, suspicion of American
  dominance

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Canadian Perspective
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Canadian Context Geography

• Canada
• Size 9,984,670 km²
• Persons per km² 3.3

• Austria
• Size 83,871 km²
• Persons per km²97

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CANARIE

• CAnet 4 optical Internet research and education
  network.
• interconnect various provincial research
  networks, and through them universities, research
  centres, government research laboratories,
  schools, and other

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CAnet4
A a