Lost in transition? Conducting a hybrid ethnography 'in' and 'out' Second Life

Internet-ethnographies that build in a split between online and offline data gathering, hereby disregarding the interplay between virtual and actual experiences, ignore how people integrate online engagements in their everyday reality and vice versa. This awareness underpins our ethnographic study of morality within Second Life (SL). Following a hybrid ethnography-approach, our research comprehended both actual and virtual encounters with SL-insiders to grasp their meanings. Reflecting on our empirical experiences, we elaborate on the question how the alternating movement between virtual and actual ethnographic participation affects the relationship between researcher and residents, and what the management of this interplay entails.

ISBN:978-1-138-78737-7

Publication year:2014

Keywords:Ethnography, Hybrid ethnography, Second Life, Actuality, Social virtual worlds, Virtuality, Morality, Hybridization, Avatar