Virtual Fieldwork: A Review of The Internet: Understanding Qualitative Research

Abstract

In this brief and thoughtful book, Hine (2013) attempts to "help with the process of writing up qualitative Internet research” (p. 2). First acknowledging that the Internet is “a new field of study” whose quality is still being worked out, she makes a strong case for the Internet as virtual fieldwork. Hine (2013) avoids repeating information that may be found in larger textbooks dealing with qualitative research, but she raises valuable ethical questions, presents an itemized summary of key components of qualitative Internet writing, and suggests specific ways by which we can evaluate qualitative Internet research. The final chapter serves as a condensed annotated bibliography.