Virtual Methods: Issues in Social Research on the Internet

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Description

Social researchers can hardly afford to ignore the Internet, as it has become an intrinsic part of everyday life. This new site of social interactions is begging to be researched and explored. At the same time it can be a moral minefield and a quality control nightmare even for researchers skilled in established methods. Virtual Methods offers a detailed exploration of the problems and opportunities surrounding Internet-based research. Can offline and online observations be combined Are online interviews able to produce high quality data How does a researcher sort through the vast mass of material available From hyperlink analysis to the sex industry online, case studies sensitively highlight the difficulties researchers face, point out the opportunities to be seized, and offer practical solutions. Virtual Methods provides concrete advice for all stages of the research process. Anyone planning a research project involving the Internet will find this book an essential guide.

Reviews

'Through the discussion of case studies using the internet and Hine's own insightful coments, Virtual Methods significantly adds to the accumulation of professional knowledge.' Mike O'Donnell, Times Higher Education Supplement 'A welcome resource for scholars studying online communities from the perspectives of sociology, communication, media studies, and other fields.' Susan Keith, Resource Centre for Cyberculture Studies 'An important contribution to the field of online (virtual) research.' Nils Zurawski, Resource Centre for Cyberculture Studies 'A new and important anthology on Internet research has just been released. This book, Virtual methods: Issues in social research on the Internet, can rightfully be considered a successor to the now classic Doing Internet research, compiled by Steve Jones some six years ago...[T]his material lends itself to engaged classroom discussion and provides useful material for students to design their own research projects...And, for the methodologists among us, this book represents an important contribution in determining the particular nature of Internet research.' Nicholas W. Jankowski, Radboud University Nijmegen

Author Bio

Christine Hine is Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of Surrey. She is the author of Virtual Ethnography (2000, Sage).