Netnography
Netnography (English netnography ) refers to a branch of research in which the methods of ethnography are applied to communities on the Internet . The word netnography is an artificial word coined by the Canadian marketing professor Robert Kozinets , which combines the two terms internet and ethnography.
definition
According to Kozinets, netnography can help to understand the complex social world by offering a collection of research methods that are used for qualitative research into human social behavior on the Internet.
Netnography is based on ethnography , i.e. the observation of the behavior of groups and their members. Ethnography is a special form of ethnographic research and translates as a description of peoples. The central concern of ethnography is to understand the life and social structure of foreign cultures and communities from their point of view.
Netnography consequently treats the Internet as its own cultural space, which contains new cultures that the researcher can enter and describe from the outside. According to Kozinets, netnography should also serve market research and represent a cost-effective method for researching the needs of consumers.
Netnography is also closely related to the computer science approach of Web Information Retrieval . This approach deals with information retrieval or information procurement on the basis of a computer-aided, content-oriented search procedure in web-based data sources. Netnography, on the other hand, is characterized by its qualitative character and the intensive engagement of the researcher with the research subject, in this case the members and discussions of online communities, over a longer period of time.
Research method
While it was necessary to have access to a group before the Internet, a netnographic observation usually allows one to observe the flow of communication within the group without necessarily actively joining the community. Netnography can thus be classified as non-participant observation, in the context of which the conversation and social interaction of the members in online communities is observed in an unobtrusive and uninfluenced manner. In contrast to classical ethnography, it is not the group members themselves, but their communication and social interaction that are the subject of the investigation.
The researcher is given the opportunity to observe the subjects and their communication unobtrusively and without artificially created interaction. For the analysis of texts, the content is similar to the content and discourse analysis . However, images, videos, graphics and audio files are also the subject of netnography. In addition to the passive analysis of this data, the methodology proposed by Kozinets also includes interviews in the form of text or video chats.
Kozinets presents 12 phases of a netnography. It runs in a circle, so it may start again with the first after the last step. The steps are:
- Introspection
- examination
- information
- interview
- Verification
- interaction
- deepening
- indexing
- interpretation
- Repetition
- Paraphrase
- Integration.
In the end, the results lead to a written paper that provides a practical understanding of the group examined.
Advantages and disadvantages of the method
advantages
Due to the unobtrusive character of netnography, so the thesis, uninfluenced and unadulterated information can be obtained. Compared to other qualitative market research methods, an investigation takes place in the familiar environment of the group. In this way, external influences that distort results, such as interview effects or artificial laboratory conditions, can be avoided.
The problem of socially desirable response behavior in the context of difficult topics can be circumvented or at least alleviated by netnographic analyzes. The anonymity of the users in forums and groups allows truthful, unadulterated statements on taboo, intimate and / or controversial topics, and thus also enables insights into the secret wishes and actual opinions of the users, which can deviate from the generally prevailing values and ideals.
The method is suitable for researching new fields. In line with the idea of grounded theory , the data analysis involves a combination of inductive and deductive procedures, which in the course of an investigation produce answers to questions that would not have been asked before the inspection of the field.
In terms of market research, the generation of results in the language of the potential customers is a further advantage and allows a deep understanding of the consumers examined. The quality as well as the depth and richness of the content of the original tones often make statements really understandable because they represent knowledge very vividly and get to the point.
The universal applicability of the method for different fields of application or questions is one of the strengths of the netnographic method. The method also allows data to be collected in several countries simultaneously and remains invisible to competitors.
Netnography is a qualitative and empirical research method and adapts to the logic of the situation. Therefore - like ethnography itself - it cannot be particularly strict - the researcher has to decide for himself in case of doubt what to do and justify it later.
disadvantage
A problem with netnography arises with regard to the representativeness of the results obtained, since the researcher's observation is the main focus. The method should therefore be viewed as a supplement to existing innovation and marketing instruments. In order to substantiate the results of the netnographic method, a triangulation with other data should be carried out.
literature
- I. Ivanovic, M. Bartl: "Netnography - Finding the right balance between automated and manual research." In: Brauckmann, Patrick: “Web Monitoring”. UVK, Konstanz, 2009.
- M. Bartl, S. Hück, S. Ruppert: "Netnography research: Community insights in the cosmetic industry." In: “Consumer Insights 2009 - The Pragmatic Approach.” Esomar Conference papers, 2009, [1] .
- M. Bartl, S. Hück, R. Landgraf: "Netnography opens up online communities as a source of innovation". In: “Research & Results”, 2008, Vol.1, pp. 28-29. [2]
- M. Bartl: "Netnography: Insights into the world of customers". In: “Planning & Analysis”, 2007, Vol.5, pp. 83-89.
- SC Beckmann, R. Langer: "Netnography". In: R. Buber, HH Holzmüller (ed.): "Qualitative market research - theory, method, analysis". Gabler, Wiesbaden, 2007.
- J. Füller, G. Jawecki, H. Mühlbacher: “Innovation creation by online basketball communities”. In: “Journal of Business Research”, 2007, Vol. 60 (1), pp. 60-71.
- J. Füller, M. Bartl, H. Ernst, H. Mühlbacher: “Community based innovation: how to integrate members of virtual communities into new product development”. In: “Electronic Commerce Research”, 2006, Vol. 6 (1), pp. 57-73.
- J. Füller (2006): “How can the innovative potential of online communities be used? - Presentation of the netnography method ”. Institute for Strategic Management, Marketing and Tourism - University of Innsbruck, 2006, PDF .
- RV Kozinets: “The field behind the screen: Using Netnography for Marketing Research in Online Communities”. In: “Journal of Marketing Research”, 2002, Vol. XXXIX, pp. 61-72.
- RV Kozinets: “E-Tribalized Marketing ?: The Strategic Implications of Virtual Communities of Consumption”. In: “European Management Journal”, 1999, Vol. 17 (3), pp. 252-264.
- RV Kozinets: “On netnography: Initial reflections on consumer research investigations of cyberculture”. In: “Advances in Consumer Research”, Vol. 25, eds. Joseph W. Alba & J. Wesley Hutchinson, Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, 1998, Pages: 366-371.
- G. Schwabe, N. Streitz, R. Unland: "Teaching and manual for computer-aided cooperative work", Springer, 2001.
Web links
- Klaus Janowitz: Netnography & Digital Change. Private blog.
- Robert Kozinets: Applying Netnography and the Netnography 08 Conference. In: Brand New Worlds. 2008, accessed September 15, 2018.