Seite 115 [115]
114] Digital Media and Storytelling in Higher Education
CHAPTER 6.
NETNOGRAPHY
Netnography is the ethnography of the Internet and examines the content and
interactions of posts in micro-communities on Web 2.0 platforms, especially
social media and video-sharing platforms. 1he cultural activities of users in
the world of Web 2.0 often take narrative form.
Fehér (2015) describes digital identity as the projection of the selfthrough
digital platforms, claiming that such an identity is nothing more than a data
set. In her research, she investigated what motivations and strategies university
students (n — 15) have before entering the workforce by constructing their
digital identities. Based on the content analysis of the interviews and the
results of the questionnaire, Fehér found that 70-80% of the respondents
self-identify with their online self-presentation. The survey also revealed that
users make decisions based on their roles: women primarily use social media
to build relationships, while men use it to achieve their moral goals. Based
on the results of the research, Fehér asserts that online and offline identities
cannot be separated, as online identities simply represent an attribute of offline
identities. A positive self-presentation in a social environment enhances self¬
esteem, while self-management aids in building a personal brand. While
users only make part of their private lives public, the reception of the stories
of others is necessary for developing self-reflection. In a later study, Fehér
(2019) investigated online decision strategies with a larger international
sample (n = 60). 70% of the users consciously shaped their strategies and
controlled their digital footprints.
The majority of netnographic research is anthropological and sociological,
focusing directly on narrative representations and their impact. The micro¬
narratives of online self-representation present narrative identity, with users
recording major episodes of their life histories on social media. In addition to
personal posts, shared content and comments on the content of other users
also provide important data regarding an individual's online self-expression.
Analyzing this data can reveal a person's views, family relationships and
cultural consumption habits. The duration of their online presence or the
frequency of posts also represents data that can be used in quantitative
research. Relevant elements in social science research include whether users
use nicknames or avatars (and if so, which ones) and whether they use filters
to aestheticize their visual content or not. Comparing the behavior and
identity of users on social media with their behavior and virtual identity in
video games also presents a complex research issue.
User-manipulated, often idealized profile representations make research
more difficult, as the data presented on the profile does not always reflect
the real socio-cultural status of the user. At the same time, users’ profile use
and activity vary; for instance, highly educated people protect more of their
data and they are less reactive to other people's posts. Braga (2021) considers