What Would Malinowski Do? Classic Fieldwork in Online Fieldsites

Abstract

The article examines methodological projects for research within online settings, the authors of which used images of classical, or conservative, fieldwork to design methods of digital anthropology. Digital anthropologists address various conceptual and pragmatic aspects of the fieldsite, fieldwork, and ethnography, rethinking the production of anthropological knowledge for internet research. Denying the possibility of applying classical fieldwork techniques in online settings, anthropologists engaged in virtual ethnography and user experience research have prepared an intellectual context for the anthropology of virtual worlds and social media and its methodological projects for digital fieldwork. Description of the classical fieldsite, including the version by B. Malinowski, influenced anthropologists to conceptualize the digital field, remove the ontological distinction between a real and virtual place, and problematize the anthropologist’s position as an avatar and user. In conclusion, this methodological strategy is situated within a discussion of the political and epistemological dimensions of the field and ethnography. The author shows that methodological projects based on the images of classical fieldwork have allowed digital anthropologists not only to substantiate the corporate identity of their research area but also to demystify field practice, re-establishing its pragmatic and conceptual foundations and critical potential.