society has its special culture; network is an objective existing “place”, also has its own
space-time characteristics and the social, cultural characteristics. This is also the fundamental reason and basic conditions that we must conduct anthropological study to this so-called \
Virtual ethnography research is the same with the traditional anthropology research; need to have a certain period of contact with the selected field points, conduct frequent interaction with the investigate subject, learn their \communities, through the media of internet to establish and maintain good relationship with them, participate in and even become a member of their society, understanding the most detailed data, then process deep interpretation to the observed data. At the same time, we also need to pay special attention to the difference between the virtual ethnography and traditional ethnography; this difference will make us faces difficulties in some aspects.
Lobine. Hyman noticed the construction or reconstruction of an identity and gender in this virtual environment; he took the \in AOL chat room as the object, using ethnographical method to conduct the research of “cybersex”. Through the study, he
proposes there may be three kinds of difficulties in virtual ethnography research. Hyman thinks the first involved question is population parameters confirmation, namely the natural condition of research objects. Such as race, nationality, age, gender, etc. factors.
Therefore, I think that even if these netizens self-reported material can never been verified, we still can get something even more important - Symbolism System. For example, their online self expression mode, social values, social relations, etc. even not the true state of the netizens, it is at least a kind of construction for their own identity. The network inherited virtual characteristics brings the investigators many uncertain factors, meanwhile also gives themselves plentiful symbol color, this double-edged sword is an endless treasure-house for the long-term anthropology research.
The second problem is the online interview reliability, whether the obtained data through online interviews and observation is true. Some ethnographer would not use the data obtained through online interview, unless he happens to know this respondents in real life. Ethnographers commonly believe to conduct interview in respondents own “territory\
the best strategy, but the author thinks, actually, the online interview benefit is at here,
respondents can answer the question in his own environment, they can communicate with the investigators in very relaxation and provide important information. Hyman himself also found that for some relatively private and sensitive issues, such as sexual behavior problems, in face-to-face interviews, respondents generally don't want to answer, but in online interview, respondents mostly are willing to answer at once, and will talk about some very secret details in their sex life, if we say traditional ethnography is more likely the anthropologist personally
participate in observation, the virtual ethnography are even more highlighted respondents’ participation in ethnographic text, respondents acquired
more privilege of expressing, interpretation of their own culture, in a sense, they become the ethnography author who has equal status as the anthropologists, and this also makes us to start thinking about a question, when conducting fieldwork in modern society, what kind of relations should be between anthropologists and respondents, “they” are also the
experts in one aspect, at some time we also need to become their investigation objects, perhaps we are no longer just a “data taker”, but also become a “data provider”. In this
sense, an anthropologist is just an ordinary participant in their self construction process. This process can be seemingly understood as an exchange relationship, internet just presets an \for this exchange.
The third problem is in face-to-face interviews, text mistranslation can be comprehensively perceived by the investigators from the respondents’ speech, posture, facial expression
and even talk tones, the information can be obtained correctly. But online interview was completely dependent on text message; interpret each other’s meaning between the lines,
therefore, in the course of information exchange, misunderstanding often occurred inevitably. This difficulty may be able to get a certain
degree of ease with the emergence and gradually popularization of real-time voice chat even video chat. The figure, words, sound, image mixed hypermedia transmission mode can create a face-to-face effect similar as the traditional ethnography investigation for the online interview. For the ethnography, the hypermedia advantage does not only show in the investigation, but also in the expression mode of ethnographic. Firstly in forms, it can be expressed as juxtaposition of multiple texts, words, graphics, sound, video present at the same time, has various ways of links between each other, provide the author broad explanation space.
In addition, from the perspective of content, image or pictures also are no longer just text explanation or strengthening, itself is a kind of expression way, it has a incomparable advantage of text, expresses richer and deeper meaning. Network space creates a life style similar with our existing experience; it is a real space outspread, also meanwhile has some new characteristics in people's communication and interaction ways, therefore, the ethnography survey conducted in network space is different from the ethnography in real space to some extent. Same as the real-life fieldwork, network ethnographic study also needs certain standard. Firstly shall abide by certain Netiquette, keep reminding yourself what you are facing not only virtual space, but the real existing person, we should treat each other with real-life etiquette, respect each other's privacy, forgive each other's mistakes and with equality friendly attitude, etc. Secondly as virtual ethnography investigators, you need to pay extra attention to your
professional ethics, for example, when conduct an interview in the chat room, you should announce your investigators
identity, expressly inform the other party that you are doing investigation for a certain research, how will the obtained material be used. Again, generally do not excessively ask the other party’s identity, in case cause their guard psychology, unless you have built up a good reliable relationship between each other. Sometimes the
investigators also need to consider how to protect their respondents. As for the problem that if using internet published articles should ask for the author’s permit, usually these resources is regard as
public resources, it may be a writer's personal creation, but once published, we can use directly without permission, however, still need to give clear indication of the author and citations, for showing respect to the author’s working.
Moreover, we still need to notice that the challenge of network ethnography to traditional fieldwork method is not an overall negative abandon. When facing a new technology produced social change, the theoretically equal opportunity and coincidence of historical point can not guarantee that we have factual equality. In actual society, because there are various layered structure, such as education level, gender, age, social labor division (profession difference), income condition, differences between urban and rural (living areas) and idea, it reflects different degree of participation in virtual society. The social class on top of the social stratification would more easily step into the
virtual space, and very likely to keep this advantage in virtual society, this upmanship advantage in turn may strengthen real-life layered structure. Therefore, the Internet influence on the society is not a coessential process of all social groups, but an erosion process start from the middle- upper class. But no matter how fast this \is processing, for a very long period in the future, most of the population will still be no luck to “live in” this virtual
society, we can not contact them in the internet. When we are doing research on virtual community, still should not forget that behind the computer monitors, we are facing a lively person, they are the same as us live in a real world. Therefore anthropological fieldwork
method is not outmoded, no matter online or offline life, both require the investigators involve into its culture, learning their language or (network language), familiar with their lives (online or offline), even become a member of them. The internet makes
anthropologists back to their swivel chair on certain extent, but opened a wider world in front of him.
Ethnography in Virtual World 虚拟世界的民族志
