Navigating internet-mediated ethnography for socio-legal researchers

As legal phenomena have become entangled with information and communication technologies, and the internet in particular, it is important for socio-legal researchers to engage with online-focused methodological approaches. This article contributes to this need by offering an exploration of some significant theoretical and methodological problematics presented by ethnographic approaches to internet research. Drawing on the methodological literature and reflections on my own research experience, the article discusses how internet-mediated ethnography differs from other online-focused approaches and considers the relationship between online and ‘traditional’ ‘real-life’ ethnography. The article suggests that notwithstanding its internal diversity and fluid boundaries, internet-mediated ethnography is a distinct approach to research, albeit one that bears a ‘family resemblance’ to traditional ethnography and offers advantages in terms of flexibility, depth of analysis, and understanding of the social contexts surrounding mediated life.