Direct contacts with potential interviewees when carrying out online ethnography on controversial and polarized topics: a loophole in ethics guidelines. Issue 2 (4th March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lavorgna, Anita; Sugiura, Lisa
• Is Part Of: International journal of social research methodology. Volume 25:Issue 2(2022)
• Page Start: 261
• Page End: 267
• Publication Date: 2022-03-04
• Subjects: Online ethnography -- interviews -- ethics -- researcher safety -- social media; Sociology -- Research -- Periodicals; 300.72
• DOI: 10.1080/13645579.2020.1855719
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1364-5579

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Direct contacts with research participants in online ethnography are an important tool to better understand complex social dynamics in cyberspace. The current ethical approaches guiding academic research, however, can be problematic in this regard, creating unintended tensions leading to potential research biases as well as safety and wellbeing issues for researchers working on controversial and polarized topics. The onus, we argue, ends up being on academics to protect and separate the personal information available about them online from the professional, trying to overcome what seems to be an inevitable blurring of boundaries. In this research note, we present two case studies to highlight what we perceive as a loophole in current ethics guidelines.