Ethnography in Virtual World 虚拟世界的民族志
essay论文代写:1017734167 Ethnography in Virtual World
As a subject has already become more and more mature，cultural anthropology formed its
own complete theoretical system and unique methodology. In the early development stage of anthropology, due to the scholars of evolutionism and diffusionism don’t have
their own special research method, they can only conduct pedantic paper work, be referred as “anthropologist on rocking chair”. This condition continued until Malinowski
formed his unique fieldwork method, his survey on Trobriand Islands has set an example for the modern anthropology fieldwork. Broadly speaking, field research including long-term live together with a nation which has another culture, study, use their language, and establish close social relationships with them, conduct long-term records and observation, write down detailed notes, participate in daily movements and so on a series of activities.
With the swift development of modern communications and
transportation, the communications between different human groups are increasingly frequent and convenient, the interaction between people no longer restricted to the network formed by relative relationships, live together and social classes, etc., the mass media and three-dimensional
transportation, promoted the large-scale cultural and social integration. The \culture is facing the situation of large-scale acculturation. We almost impossible to find a completely isolated human group at anywhere of this world, people are always closely related with the outside world. The \disappearing, and the convergence phenomenon of the western industrial society is continuously strengthened. Under such conditions,
anthropology research is beginning to shift to city and modern society, besides religions, kinship such traditional areas, anthropology begins to pay close attention to political economy, science phenomenon, ecological environment and media culture, etc. issues. Its research objects is turning from the number limited, smaller scale, structural relatively simple groups to huge numbers, large scale and complicated structured communities, which has far exceeded the scale that anthropologist personally could control, they can no longer get into each group, contact each person, participate in each activity. The \sense of space into a more general sense of so-called \– political reticular territory\been challenged; anthropology research methods faced another revolution.
As a countermeasure, \anthropology research. Through social investigation, researchers don’t have to contact each one in the
group, but through telephone, mail, questionnaire, and other ways to obtain information. Ethnography needn't to be limited to a specific field point. Marcus thinks in complex items
study, ethnography may contain multiple field points linked together for a series of cultural contexts, therefore this idea of multiple field points of ethnography, which put ethnography into the \played a positive role to the research of modern society information and high-frequency flow of population as well as the related technical phenomenon. Internet as a kind of medium different with traditional media, its multielement interactions and hypertext characteristics provides a new method possibility for anthropology, it is utilizing the Internet to collect data, establish close relationship with the research objects, involved in the network constructed virtual community, this is the so-called \of traditional anthropology fieldwork method in this case have been challenged again, but for the anthropology which begins to transfer to modern social studies, this is a new opportunity.
Since the 1990s, the internet has been rapidly popularized worldwide. Report of the UN conference on trade and development suggested that at the end of 2002, the global netizen is about 6.55 billion. In addition to general news reading, sending and receiving e-mails, a significant number of people have been using internet for shopping, paying tuition fee, job searching, speculation on stocks, seeking doctors and treatment, making friends & dating, and participating in the vocational training,
to a certain extent, we have been living in a \The emergence of this phenomenon firstly means the internet has offered a novel approach for anthropology survey. A potentially huge crowd has already appeared in front of us, we can across borders, even across several continents, contact the crowds within the maximum scope. Now there are already many anthropologists started to use internet for their own ethnography survey, especially for the survey aimed at some sensitive issues, such as prostitution and drug abuse etc. criminal issues, investigators generally are very inaccessible to the investigation object or their group, or due to some concerns, the investigation objects are not willing to accept interview. But through the internet, we can get to contact with these people, and can perform some deep investigation. For example, American scholar Coonber, who is using the internet to do the survey on drug dealers. He released a questionnaire designed by himself on the internet, listed out each question, ask the drug dealers who are once engaged or being doing the drug sales to answer. At last he took back 80 valid questionnaires, respectively from four continents fourteen countries. There are 40% (32 pieces) from the United States, which reflected the America’s advantage in the internet
development, the rest are respectively from England (10 pieces), Canada (9 pieces), Australia (5 pieces), and Finland, South Africa, New Zealand etc. countries. Because his questionnaire is edited with English, so the feedbacks from non- English speaking countries are less.
Questionnaire submit patterns include two kinds, one is complete online and send directly, another way is print out the questionnaire, and mail back according to the above address. Analysis results are corresponding to the practical survey (prison inmates) he did in London, out of consideration for no matter “professional ethics”
or commercial interests, most of them deny spoofing or lacking any pellet in drugs, this at least partially explained the reliability and feasibility of network survey.
Secondly, people’s \subject for
anthropology. The anthropology’s focus to city and modern society can not absolutely
ignore the internet influence on human social life and cultural. The existence and the high-speed development of virtual community have touched to the deep utterance of anthropology and sociological research, such as social interaction, social integration, social bonds and the range of experience and reality, etc. In fact, this technology in increasingly development is creating a growing social cultural
environment, require our research work keeps pace with this change, and even redefine some concept in the subjects. \society\irtual community” etc. concepts began
to appear in anthropology research. We have enough reasons to regard the internet as a real existing “virtual society\of anthropology basic concepts, any
Ethnography in Virtual World 虚拟世界的民族志
