Digital Ethnography Working Group

Ethnographers study people by observing their lives where and as they unfold. But questions of being there and present are made more complicated and interesting with digital life and the role of information and communication technologies and media in work, play, and in all aspects of life. Digital ethnography is a burgeoning field of research, and the goal of the Digital Ethnography Working Group is to develop a deeper understanding of how people live in this digital era and uncover the most innovative methods to study digital communication, information, and media from an ethnographic standpoint. To establish SC&I at the forefront of digital ethnography, this working group provides outstanding support, training, and visibility to faculty and graduate students interested in this evolving research area.

Key Aims

• To bring together faculty and doctoral students as a group to write regularly, build fellowship, and discuss future plans for the Working Group. “Write-ins” also can ensure that scholars maintain a productive writing life (e.g., article, dissertation chapter, grant proposal), and members of the university community can be invited to participate.
• To support graduate students with state-of-the-art training in digital and traditional ethnographic fieldwork methods and ethnographic writing. By offering ethnography events and regularly scheduled write-ins, the Working Group can enhance current training opportunities available through course offerings.
• Building a network through a small-scale digital ethnography retreat on campus and inviting external faculty and doctoral students who are doing outstanding digital ethnography from different perspectives.

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