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Overview
Social researchers can hardly afford to ignore the Internet, as it has become an intrinsic part of everyday life. This new site of social interactions is begging to be researched and explored. At the same time it can be a moral minefield and a quality control nightmare even for researchers skilled in established methods.Virtual Methods offers a detailed exploration of the problems and opportunities surrounding Internet-based research. Can offline and online observations be combined? Are online interviews able to produce high quality data? How does a researcher sort through the vast mass of material available? From hyperlink analysis to the sex industry online, case studies sensitively highlight the difficulties researchers face, point out the opportunities to be seized, and offer practical solutions. Virtual Methods provides concrete advice for all stages of the research process. Anyone planning a research project involving the Internet will find this book an essential guide.
Synopsis
The title is a bit misleading: the discussion is not how to do social science on the Internet, but how to research social interactions that are mediated by information and communications technologies. Social scientists in Europe, North America, and Korea present case studies and reviews that explore methodological solutions to some of the new questions being asked in the age of distance interaction. The 14 studies are revised from presentations at a series of seminars in universities in southern England from 2001 to 2003. Distributed in the US by Palgrave Macmillan. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR