Ethnography Project
Hey, welcome back!
My ethnography project has involved picking a media niche, narrowing down a field site and constructing my research process, but now I need to consider the ethical side of things.
All research needs to be mindful of the ethical issues involved in both the process of conducting research and its end product, considering issues of confidentiality, anonymity and consent. This is of particular importance due to the online medium and publicity of my field site of Instagram. Whilst individual user actions and interactions can be seen and accessed publicly, there are not considered a part of the public domain. This means I need to respect their consent and privacy and act ethically in my behaviour of publishing content online to a public audience. Having said this, the brands on Instagram are businesses rather than individuals. Their exposure is something they seek to gain and thrive off. Instagram influencers or ‘Insta-famous’ individuals blur the lines a little, as they are considered individuals but also micro-influencers who publicise themselves in the public arena of Instagram. So, how am I going to represent my media niche to a public audience, whilst avoiding using direct references to individual’s expressions and actions online? I will adopt ‘active listening’, where I fully immerse myself into the field site as an experiencer and silent observer who seeks to absorb all that is seen and experienced within the online space. I will record this in detail and in-depth description rather than directly referencing individuals. This method allows me to ethically explore and represent the nature of social media and its cultural nuances without raising ethical issues.
To strengthen my research data, field notes and help inform my thinking I will look at academic and online resources that discuss the same topic and lateral interests. This will help enhance my analysis and develop my findings and framework. For example:
A study conducted in 2019, explores how Instagram celebrities influence consumer behaviour. They discuss how consumers exposed to influencers, perceive the source as more trustworthy, feel more positively towards the endorsed brand and feel more envious of the source than that of traditional high-profile celebrity brand posts. This factor comes into play when considering branding and audience engagement and hence enhances my understanding of the field site. Another 2019 study, explores the culture and effects of social media advertising and marketing. It discusses it in terms of reaching target markets and building culture and relationships among online communities. It also looks out how this form of marketing influences social identification and uses it to make long-term relationships and satisfaction as consumers identify with the brand. A further study from 2020, looks solely at marketing on Instagram. It found that Instagram is an effective tool used by brands to close the gap between buyer and seller. Not just by acting as a source for inspiration, research and reference but also as a vehicle to make purchases.
All of these insights provide me with an enhanced understanding of my field site and it’s cultural tendencies. I can explore these topics and see how they translate through my auto-ethnographic and observatory research.
Stay tuned for more!
Kayla Mathew
Reference List
Gupta, Y., Agarwal, S. and Singh, P.B (2020) To Study the Impact of Instafamous Celebrities on Consumer Buying Behavior. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 24(2), pp.1-13.
Jin, S.V., Muqaddam, A. and Ryu, E. (2019) “Instafamous and social media influencer marketing”, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 37 No. 5, pp. 567-579. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09-2018-0375
Capture By Kayla 