Digitally shaped ethnographic relationships during a global pandemic and beyond

Abstract

Social distancing and public safety measures enacted in response to COVID-19 created a surge in methodological “advice” for researchers facing disruption to fieldwork. Resources and publications frequently encouraged changes vis-a-vis digitally enhanced methods or employment of digital ethnography. For ethnographers, the establishment and maintenance of ethnographic relationships in pandemic contexts restricted to virtual interactions has not been thoroughly explored, leaving those trained in recruitment, rapport-building, and field engagement with fewer resources to navigate this integral topic. Here, we provide insights into how ethnographic relationships may be developed when there is limited access to the field and traditional relationship building is not possible. We argue that as ethnographic methods change and adapt, so too must perspectives on ethnographic relationship development. By closely examining ethnographic relationships confined to digital spaces in the context of the Tennessee tornado recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this project sheds light on how to overcome this challenge.

Online, offline, hybrid: Methodological reflection on event ethnography in (post-)pandemic times

“…This can reduce resource-related inequalities, expanding the ethnographic operation space of researchers in remote places and from the Global South and facilitate access to the field, as “reaching the field no longer requires entering it in a physical sense” ( Howlett, 2021 : 12–13). On the downside, online events also create new inequalities related to digital divides as internet capacities vary and not all attendees are familiar with the required ICT ( Kim et al, 2021 ). For those who possess the necessary infrastructural means, the extended possibilities to digitally attend all sorts of events via mouse click also intensify the “fear of missing out” (FOMO syndrome).…”

“…The transition from offline to online events intensifies the need to rethink how we take part and position ourselves as the interactional challenge of taking part and positioning oneself is fundamentally different in online formats (cf. Kim et al, 2021 ). In virtual spaces, it seems easier to escape confrontations, to remain in the background and just observe.…”

“…In these settings, events offer their heterogeneous groups of participants rare, if not the only, occasions to meet in person, directly interact and recognize each other as stakeholders in the same transdisciplinary action fields. This mode of transdisciplinary exchange and research has changed since March 2020 as we are now observing and participating in virtual events ( Arya and Henn, 2021 ; Howlett, 2021 ; Kim et al, 2021 ; Lupton, 2021 ; Vadrot et al, 2021 ).…”

‘Today Was Probably One of the Most Challenging Workdays I’ve Ever Had’: Doing Remote Qualitative Research with Hospital Doctors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In his 2016 paper, he explained that remote ethnography involves using 'whatever technical means will help us gain insights into the lives and deeds of our research respondents' (Posthill, 2016). We subsequently reviewed (and continue to review) the emergent literature on conducting qualitative research during the COVID-19 pandemic (Ghosh, 2020;Howlett, 2021;Jowett, 2020;Kim et al, 2021;Lupton, 2020;Pocock et al, 2021;Rankl et al, 2021;Richardson et al, 2021;Vindrola-Padros et al, 2020) and a broader literature around the growing use and usefulness of digital and remote methods (Barratt, 2012;García et al, 2015;Gibson, 2020;Kaufmann & Peil, 2019).…”

“…This helped the HDRM team to build rapport with respondents that they had never met face-to-face. Jaymelee et al describe these virtual interactions as 'ethnographic relationships confined to digital places' (Kim et al, 2021).The longitudinal component of MIME complements and enhanced the insights gained from the initial qualitative in-depth interviews with respondents. Although we were not physically present alongside the doctors in their hospital workplaces, we spent a long time communicating with them about work via WhatsApp and hearing their response to issues as they arose (e.g.…”