Foundations in Cyber-Ethnography: A Cross-Cultural Approach
By (Author) Erica Zimmerman
With Clementine K. Fujimura
Contributions by Dr. Vincenzo Auriemma
Contributions by Terilee Edwards-Hewitt
Contributions by Clementine K. Fujimura
Contributions by Dr. Gennaro Iorio
Contributions by Dr. Samantha James
Contributions by Dr. Pamela Pavliscak
Contributions by Nova Seals
Contributions by Dr. Deborah Wheeler
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Bloomsbury Academic
5th February 2026
United Kingdom
Professional and Scholarly
Non Fiction
Research methods: general
Cultural and media studies
Social and cultural anthropology
Hardback
248
Width 152mm, Height 229mm
This book comes at a critical time, as students, professionals, and the general population realize the increasing interdependence of cultural interactions both on and offline. In order to fully understand societies with cyber connectivity, current and future research must also include the ethnographic study of online and digital communication, which can no longer be relegated to a separate cyber space.
Contributors examine the extent to which the cyber is now intertwined with the lives of anyone with connectivity and the ways in which it can affect society on local, national, and global levels. Not only is increased understanding of digital forms of communication and the role of online identity arguably crucial on individual levels -- including professional, personal, and relational contexts -- but also on societal levels -- including economic, diplomatic, and political contexts. Chapters in this volume analyze a number of examples of this importance, from success and security in professional contexts, to the development of personal relationships, to organizing political action, and even impacts on current global conflicts and international relations. Ultimately, this book argues that anyone engaged in the study of human society is compelled to include the study and findings of both online and offline communication in their research in order to gain an accurate and more complete understanding of any given culture with cyber connectivity.
Erica Zimmerman is Professor of Japanese language and Intercultural Communications in the Languages and Cultures Department at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. She is the author of Technology-Supported Learning In and Out of the Japanese Language Classroom: Advances in Pedagogy, Teaching, and Research (2019).