Foundations in Cyber-Ethnography: A Cross-Cultural Approach
New York: Bloomsbury Academic (2026), x, 253 pp.
Contains illustrations, index
ISBN 979-8-7651-5452-6 (pdf); 978-1-6669-7421-8 (hbk)
"Contributors to this volume contend that in the realm of research on human society, online and digital communication can no longer be relegated to a separate cyber space and should instead be considered in equal part by integrating cyber-ethnographic methods. Coming at a critical time where students, professionals, and the general population realize the increasing interdependence of cultural interactions both offline and online, Foundations of Cyber-Ethnography provides a framework for studying and presenting findings from both forms of communication. Using this framework, contributors investigate the effects of the inextricable link between the cyber and networked societies on individual, local, national, and global contexts. Each chapter provides compelling examples to demonstrate the importance of forming a fuller understanding of digital communication and the role of online identity in a wide range of professional, personal, relational, economic, diplomatic, and political contexts." (Publisher description)
1 The Cyber Impact on Culture: The History of Cyber-Ethnography and Current Ethical Considerations / Erica Zimmerman and Clementine Fujimura, 1
PART I: INFLUENCERS AND INFLUENCING: CHANGES AND SHIFTS IN POPULAR CULTURE
2 Gen Zen? How Young People Adapt AI Chatbots for Emotional Support Uncovering New Mental Health Interventions / Pamela Pavliscak, 39
3 Interrogating Interaction on Instagram: Focal Practice, Social Connections and Identity Online / Nova Seals, 57
4 Prideful Actions, Shameful Identities: Hybridity in International K-pop Fan Communities / Samantha James, 73
5 Digital Consumption and Digital Emotions: A Netnographic Analysis of Emotions on Twitch Technology and Society: The Process of Digitizing Emotions / Vincenzo Auriemma and Gennaro Iorio, 97
PART II: SOCIAL MEDIA'S INFLUENCE ON THE CULTURE SURROUNDING MILITARY CONFLICTS AND ALLIANCES
6 The Power of the Imagined in Russian Dissident Online Communities / Clementine Fujimura, 123
7 The Meme Information War in Support of Ukraine: Humor in a Dark Time / Terilee Edwards-Hewitt, 139
8 (Virtual) Ethnography and the Study of the Palestinian-Israeli (Digital) Conflict: Reflections on Why Words (don't) Matter / Deborah Wheeler, 163
9 Iconic Offline Cultural Events as Constructed on Official US and Japanese Military Social Media Sites: A Cross-Cultural Comparison / Erica Zimmerman, 195
Epilogue: Cyber-Ethnography: Looking Ahead / Erica Zimmerman and Clementine Fujimura, 229
PART I: INFLUENCERS AND INFLUENCING: CHANGES AND SHIFTS IN POPULAR CULTURE
2 Gen Zen? How Young People Adapt AI Chatbots for Emotional Support Uncovering New Mental Health Interventions / Pamela Pavliscak, 39
3 Interrogating Interaction on Instagram: Focal Practice, Social Connections and Identity Online / Nova Seals, 57
4 Prideful Actions, Shameful Identities: Hybridity in International K-pop Fan Communities / Samantha James, 73
5 Digital Consumption and Digital Emotions: A Netnographic Analysis of Emotions on Twitch Technology and Society: The Process of Digitizing Emotions / Vincenzo Auriemma and Gennaro Iorio, 97
PART II: SOCIAL MEDIA'S INFLUENCE ON THE CULTURE SURROUNDING MILITARY CONFLICTS AND ALLIANCES
6 The Power of the Imagined in Russian Dissident Online Communities / Clementine Fujimura, 123
7 The Meme Information War in Support of Ukraine: Humor in a Dark Time / Terilee Edwards-Hewitt, 139
8 (Virtual) Ethnography and the Study of the Palestinian-Israeli (Digital) Conflict: Reflections on Why Words (don't) Matter / Deborah Wheeler, 163
9 Iconic Offline Cultural Events as Constructed on Official US and Japanese Military Social Media Sites: A Cross-Cultural Comparison / Erica Zimmerman, 195
Epilogue: Cyber-Ethnography: Looking Ahead / Erica Zimmerman and Clementine Fujimura, 229
