This chapter aims to review the five write-ups on digital ethnography and how we can mitigate adverse situations like a pandemic. This chapter is based on secondary sources to discuss the digital method and methodology for writing an ethnography for academic purposes without thrashing all uncertain barriers. It is unusual activity in the academic world and has to be used in social crisis management for the greater interest. Apart from these, vigilant situations have been depicted while the pandemic is arounds us to conduct academic activities.
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Covid -19 has become synonymous with death march events. While getting out of the home means risking our life. Amid much hype, people want to take advantage of every opportunity to use technology. This chapter is consisted of reviewing the five write-ups (Goralska, 2020; Tagg et al., 2017; Seta, 2020; Ardevol et al., 2014; Hsu, 2014). In this sense, this is based on a secondary source to review the relationship between pandemics and technology for accomplishing an ethnography without yielding lies, time and life (Fine, 1993; Fine and Shulman,2009).
'Anthropology from home' is like `work from home - at the time of Covid-19' (Goralska, 2020). Anthropological research focusing on ethnography during this pandemic is groundbreaking steps. However, we have to think that, in times of crisis like the Covid pandemic, Digital ethnography may be one perspective solution but not always. Digital Ethnography (DE) may deem it special consideration in any critical situation so that time and money never go to vain (Geiger and Ribes, 2011; Hine, 2005, 2000). To deal with Digital Ethnography, the researcher can prefer it to reduce the researcher's life risk as a crisis solving method, but it is never required all the time.
No, we did not thoroughly depend on what mentioned five write-ups; rather also searched a few numbers of related vignette papers to the expansion of our thought. In that case, we endeavored to mention the done matters in Digital Ethnography and the concerning matters we have unveiled in this chapter. However, it does not mean that it is all to give direction to writing Digital Ethnography or conducting related research; instead, we can get a handful of resources before taking a journey on Digital Ethnography.
In the age of technology, a Researcher cannot keep far away from technological use (Levy, 2015). However, researchers and respondents should keep engaged in careful use of the technology. Here in the social science research, during Covid - 19 in the particular case, we can say about using information technology to collect data from social media or online platforms as multi networking or multi connecting (Marcus, 1995).
Anthropology speaks for participant observation specifically to use the ethnographic approach in research. However, researching the online platform, respondent and researcher both stay connected to collect the data, but between them have a gap or distance, which is a matter of trustfulness. As a result, one kind of relationship grows, and intimacy is also born. Nevertheless, one of a kind of gap remains remaining between them. We can say it is contracted but not connected to the research activities.
DE and Participatory Ethnography (PE) objectives are to serve knowledge in the academic world. We should rigorously follow DE's case when a researcher thinks about DE, and then he/ she should consider the following things meticulously-
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First: Ethics must follow severely
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Second: Must seek the respondent's permission even though communication is digital.
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Third: Digital data is 'sensitive'. So, morality must follow in the period of data presentation or write-up the report.
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Fourth: While we are participating in Digital Ethnography, the researcher and researched people must have knowledge on ethics and morality. Otherwise, any catastrophic incidents may ruin both lives by doing the fault of anyone.