Netnographic Study Research Articles

The return of the social author

The rise in self-publishing, digital folk culture and social media participation, have revolutionized reading and writing practices. Readers can directly contact their favourite authors, and publishers, through social media and become authors, and publishers, themselves. One of the outcomes of digital reading and writing is that writing is now becoming more democratic: traditional publishers are no longer the sole gatekeepers of culture. The popularity of social writing platform Wattpad is a recent example of how a new generation of influential and innovative writers is entering the publishing arena. This also demonstrates that there is a demand for authorship without the intervention from publishers. Despite this, traditional notions of authorship, ownership and control are prevalent in contemporary publishing hindering the true potential of creativity. The disharmony between the rise of the amateur author and the control of the traditional publisher is confronted in the digital public sphere. Consequently, issues such as authority and influence are mediated during the activities and interactions that take place on social media and other online platforms. Established authority figures, such as famous authors or well-known publishers, that exert authority and influence in the traditional sphere, can shift this authority and influence to the digital world; however, this sphere is also occupied by emerging networks of influencers, such as emerging authors or micro-celebrities, who gain popularity as a result of specific trends, in specific domains, at specific times. This article will examine how new and established authors are using social platforms, and social media, to publish their writing, build communities and extend their dialogue with readers and other writers. A netnographic study of Wattpad will identify which authors are the influencers and innovators in social publishing. Consequently, this article will underscore the increasing importance of social networks and social relationships in 21st century publishing.

2,4-Dinitrophenol, the inferno drug: a netnographic study of user experiences in the quest for leanness

Background: Despite not being licensed for human consumption, the Internet has triggered renewed, widespread interest and availability of 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP). DNP, a cellular metabolic poison, causes thermogenesis resulting in fat burning and weight loss. Whilst extensively available for purchase online, research on user experiences of DNP is limited.Methods: A netnographic approach was used to describe user experiences of DNP via online public websites. Public websites discussing DNP were identified and a purposeful sample selected. Discussion threads were downloaded and a textual qualitative analysis conducted. Four themes containing 71 categories were generated.Results: There exists a plethora of communal folk pharmacological advice and recommendations for DNP manufacture and use, together with associated harms and outcomes. The efficacy and untoward effects of DNP were described and discussed alongside the notion that DNP should only be used by experienced bodybuilders. Dosage and regimes for optimal use were also described.Conclusion: This unique study provides a rich examination of the knowledge, attitudes, and motivations of DNP users, illustrating the significant role of online public websites in sharing information. Further understanding of DNP users and the online communities in which they reside is warranted to facilitate engagement and formulate appropriate and effective policy responses.

Nostalgia in online brand communities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of a subculture of consumption organized toward a nostalgic brand on a social media platform. More specifically, the authors examine the role of these nostalgic feelings in the development of a community identity and the benefits they promote in the creation and perpetuation of this group. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a netnographic study to examine the case of Caloi 10 on Facebook. The data collection was carried out by following interactions among members of this community for seven months. Besides this, field observations and interviews were also considered in the analysis. Findings Four categories emerged from the analysis: Identity and nostalgia, the subculture’s ethos, consumption habits and hierarchical social structure. Nostalgia was shown to have a collective dimension, connecting the group around the brand, and positively affecting the ties between members and members and the brand. Practical implications On-line brand communities can be promoted to strengthen connections between consumers and a brand, and between consumers with each other. For that, it is important to understand the characteristics and specificities of these groups. Originality/value Few studies have dealt with the characteristics of brand communities in social media, as well as the role of nostalgia in these groups. This research fills these gaps, exploring aspects related to consumption as a way of transmitting symbolic meanings and expressing nostalgic feelings in on-line brand communities.

A Netnographic Study on Virtual Community of Patients with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in Turkey

Internet has been reported as one of the most important place that patients with SCI share their experiences. The literature suggests that patients having SCI have some online experiences on web as helpful during their remaining lives. However, there are only a few studies about the communication of Turkish patients of spinal cord injury (SCI). This exploratory, qualitative netnographic study was aimed to reveal the experiences of a virtual community comprised patients with SCI. While netnographic analysis offers a potentially suitable approach for various virtual communities, this study applied a netnography approach and was based on data from a SCI community. The results of this study indicated that six main forums that the patients can mainly involve in the forums and suggested the need for changes of virtual community perception and group interaction experiences. It is also found that interest in the medical news relating to the hope of recovery was the most important factor.

Space invaders - A netnographic study of how artefacts in nursing home environments exercise disciplining structures.

This study aims to present culturally situated artefacts as depicted in nursing home environments and to analyse the underlying understandings of disciplining structures that are manifested in these kinds of places. Our personal geographies are often taken for granted, but when moving to a nursing home, geographies are glaringly rearranged. The study design is archival and cross-sectional observational, and the data are comprised of 38 photographs and 13 videos showing environments from nursing homes. The analysis was inspired by the methodological steps in Roper's and Shapira's description of conducting ethnography. The results are presented in four categories: (i) public areas, (ii) orderliness, (iii) staff's places and (iv) devices. The rearrangement of geography implies a degrading of agency and loss of authority over one's place. The places should be understood in their relation to the agents and their temporarily claims upon them. The material and immaterial artefacts, that is the items, people and behaviours, transform the nursing staff into 'space invaders'. Future inquiries may take into consideration the ways that space invasion in participative space intersect and construct the identities of the agents it invades upon.

Co-creation as a process of undoing authenticity

Abstract This article explores the recent emergence of ‘authenticity’ in fashion in the context of tribal brand cultures in which the value of fashion items results from co-creation processes in environments created by online social media. The study used a qualitative approach in the form of a netnographic study, supported by secondary research such as online documents, photographic footage and media reports. Focusing on a young New York City-based outdoor fashion firm, the research explores the life- and experience-worlds of consumers in an online context. Following the tenets of Symbolic Interactionism, the study identified a socially and emotionally charged process of value exchange as a key driver in the relationship between brands and consumers. Social exchange between consumers is where meaning is extracted and symbolic properties are converted into markers of collective identification. While most analyses of co-creation and tribal consumption focus on offor online contexts separately, the present study seeks to develop an understanding of the intersecting dynamics between on- and offline environments.

A Netnographic Study of eWOM Motivations to Articulate Dining Experiences

This study explains electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in terms that are opposed to the traditional definitions and examines the motivations that lead to eWOM in order to clarify ethnic restaurant users’ post-consumption behavior online. To fill in the gap left by studies that have primarily relied on predetermined questionnaires (e.g., DINESERV), this study uses a qualitative methodology (i.e., netnography). Four motivations for engaging in eWOM are identified. Customers tend to articulate their dining experiences by engaging in online social networks for the purpose of evaluating services, expressing positive or negative feelings, approving other members’ contributions, or gaining positive recognition from others.

“Let's Talk about Sex”: Discussions in Seniors' Online Communities

Seniors' online communities offer them a safe sphere for discussing sex-related concerns. This netnographic study explored the characteristics of sex-related discussions in such communities and followed online sex-related discussions that took place in 14 leading English language-based communities during one full year (2,534 posts). Analysis revealed that the discussions were simultaneously a source of valuable information and entertainment, and that they had an effect on members' attitudes and offline sexual behavior. Battles between the discussions' protagonists and antagonists provided additional “spice” to the rather amusing yet educational and beneficial discussions. Overall, results indicated that in a reality of limited alternatives for sex-related communication, seniors have found a channel to satisfy their needs for sex-related information and support.

Cocreating the Arab Spring

This article examines the transformation of service systems through actors’ resource integration and value cocreation in contention. It is based on a netnographic study focusing on the use of information and communications technology (ICT) tools by online activists during the “Arab Spring.” The transformation of service systems is conceptualized on the basis of existing service research and on the theory of strategic action fields. Focusing on Syria, the findings suggest that activists transformed four interdependent service systems—the media, the social movement, health care, and the financial service systems—during the Arab Spring by means of integrating resources and cocreating value within several ICT tools. A key contribution to transformative service research is the fact that the positive transformation of service systems derives from the conflict between two types of actors, namely, incumbents and challengers. This article also contributes to our knowledge of triggers of service system transformation, what motivates actors to transform service systems, how service system transformation is enabled by actors’ integration and use of ICT tools serving as opportunity spaces, and the transformative roles actors adopt. In addition, this article contributes to the conceptualization of service systems and to the understanding of resource integration and value cocreation.

“Plant or poison”: A netnographic study of recreational use of 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA)

BACKGROUND: Dimethylamylamine (DMAA) is a stimulant component present in dietary and sport supplements. Safety is debatable. Given recreational drug user interest in DMAA, a netnographic study investigated displacement of DMAA into the realm of recreational drug use as shared by drug users on publically available drug web fora. METHODS: A systematic internet search was implemented on Google Insights for Search, Google and Yahoo by utilising precise key words; 'DMAA', 'Dimethylamylamine', 'Methylhexanamine', 'Methylhexaneamine', and 'Geranamine', and in combination with the word 'forum'. The search generated 1034 identified threads relative to recreational and sole use of DMAA for intoxication purposes. A cyclical analysis of textual data was conducted. RESULTS: Findings are illustrative of drug user curiosity relating to DMAA's potential uses as recreational drug. Oral use was common, and within advisable ranges. Due to its adrenergic effect DMAA is viewed as having low value for intoxication purposes, and better suited as workout and weight loss aid. Adverse sympathomimetic effects, tolerance and concerns around toxicity discouraged further experimentation. CONCLUSIONS: Continued surveillance of drug user trend interest in sport supplements, monitoring of displacement trends and presence of DMAA in new psychoactive substances is warranted. Information can inform clinical and harm reduction responses. Language: en

Ontario Kindergarten Teachers’ Social Media Discussions About Full Day Kindergarten

This exploratory netnographic study describes how a sample of Ontario kindergarten teachers perceives the new Ontario Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) curriculum. Discussions from teacher message boards, the comment sections of online news articles, and interviews with kindergarten teachers were analyzed and coded using a qualitative approach. Analysis revealed three major themes: 1) Class size concerns, 2) Team teaching concerns, and 3) Play-based curriculum concerns. Results are in broad agreement with those reported in existing research into Ontario’s FDK initiative. Findings highlight the need for further research with educators involved in Ontario’s FDK and also contribute to the burgeoning field of netnography research. Suggestions for future research and practice are included.

Firm-brand community value co-creation as alignment of practices

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute knowledge regarding the nature of successful and unsuccessful value co-creation processes between firms and brand communities and the strategies used to address the latter. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on a netnographic study of the online collaborative platform known as Alfisti.com, which carmaker Alfa Romeo launched to enhance co-creation with its most devoted consumers, the “Alfisti”. Findings – The findings identify three groups of collaborative practices: interacting, identity and organizing practices. The paper details how firm and brand community members enact the elements – procedures, understandings and engagements – of collaborative practices and how the alignment of these enactments impacts value co-creation. Research limitations/implications – The paper suggests that co-creation of value succeeds when the enactment of collaborative practices aligns, i.e. when firm and brand community members enact practices in a similar way, and that co-creation fails when the enactment of practices misaligns. Firms and brand communities use three realignment strategies – compliance, interpretation and orientation – to address the misalignment and failure of co-creation. The fact that the research draws on a single qualitative case study is a limitation. Practical implications – Managerial implications include using realignment strategies to manage firm-brand community co-creation. Originality/value – Creating an empirical-based framework regarding successful and failing co-creation and how the latter is addressed in the context of brand community makes the paper original.

Patient value co-creation in online health communities

Purpose– Patient value co-creation represents a key research priority and an essential determinant of health care service outcomes. Yet few studies empirically examine the factors that motivate patients to participate actively in value co-creation. The purpose of this paper is to seek to identify the motivators of such activities in online health communities (OHC) and examine their specific and unique effects.Design/methodology/approach– A netnographic study helps identify the motivators that drive patients’ value co-creation activities in OHCs. The combination of these results with social identity theories suggest the hypotheses; mediation analyses test the hypothesized model with data collected from eight OHCs that address both life-threatening and non-life-threatening illnesses.Findings– The netnographic results show that social identity drives patients’ value co-creation activities. Interactions among OHC members and the cognitive resources of the OHC both contribute to the development of its social identity. Furthermore, benevolence trust, shared vision, and shared language determine how likely an OHC member is to identify with a particular OHC, which further influences his or her value co-creation activities in that OHC.Originality/value– Although value co-creation is critical to the health care sector, few studies examine antecedents of patient value co-creation empirically. This study represents an initial attempt to do so by combining innovative netnographic analyses with mediation analyses.

Managing information sharing in online communities and marketplaces

Companies can engage with many online social networks and communities to attract customers, disseminate product information, conduct research, and stimulate innovation. However, for these activities to be successful, it is key that consumers at these platforms trust each other and are willing to share their knowledge freely. The study presented in this article assesses what companies can do to encourage members of online communities and marketplaces to share information with others. For this purpose, a netnographic study was conducted of Etsy.com, an online marketplace for handcrafted and vintage products. The study revealed several key findings: companies can stimulate information sharing through activities that build trust and develop a norm of reciprocity; rules and guidelines are helpful to discourage abuse, but do little to stimulate sharing; and companies should give the right example by sharing knowledge themselves. The guidelines that were developed based on these findings can be used by companies that own or manage an online community as well as by those who intend to engage with one.

Branded Flash Mobs: Moving Toward a Deeper Understanding of Consumers’ Responses to Video Advertising

Ads are no longer unidirectional or one-dimensional but a blend of offline and online techniques designed to directly interact with the community. For many companies, advertising via online platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo has replaced commercials on television altogether. Recently, branded flash mobs have emerged as a popular form of viral advertising. While many branded flash mobs have experienced millions of YouTube views a metric such as view count does not fully indicate the effectiveness of the ad. This netnographic study evaluates viewers’ attitude toward the ad to better understand the effects of branded flash mobs. After examining 2,882 YouTube comments from three virally successful branded flash mob ads, a typology is developed, referred to as the archetype of consumer attitude matrix, to enable academics to formulate research questions regarding branded flash mobs. These archetypes of consumer attitudes to the online ad, in this case branded flash mobs, aid in the assessment of consumer response based on processing (cognitive versus emotive) and stance (supportive versus antagonistic). This typology also serves as a guide to marketing managers in the use of branded flash mobs in their viral campaigns. The article concludes with recommendations for future research.

“Vintage Meds”: A Netnographic Study of User Decision-Making, Home Preparation, and Consumptive Patterns of Laudanum

Background: Reviews have commented on rising clandestine manufacture of opiate drug solutions for injecting, and to a lesser extent for oral use. Very little is known about user attempts to culture poppy seeds, widely available on the internet for manufacture of long acting medium-high potency oral solutions, both as poppy seed tea or as opium tincture (laudanum). Objectives: A netnographic research methodology aimed to provide online consumer insight into user sourcing and decision influences, experiences of home manufacture of laudanum, utilization of opium tincture recipes, and consumptive patterns. Methods: A systematic internet search was conducted using the terms: “Laudanum,” “Opium tincture,” and “Tincture of Opium” in combination with “forum.” Following screening of 810 forum threads with exclusion criteria and removal of duplicates, 75 fora threads on 6 online drug fora were analyzed using the empirical phenomenological psychological method. Four themes were generated. Results: Findings illustrated the underpinning of user reminiscing about Victorian use of standardized laudanum, long duration shelf life, and medicinal use for opiate withdrawals with intentions to prepare. Preparation of famous recipes and use of authentic storage bottles boosted nostalgia. Participants appeared well versed in kitchen chemistry processes. Discussions centered on type and amount of alcohol used, use of additives to promote palatability and intoxication effect, homogenization of poppy seeds, and double extraction using opium tincture. Lack of detail available on intoxication experiences, with tentative dosage advised. Conclusions: Development of targeted and credible “counterpublic” harm reduction initiatives situated within online consumerism of communal drug knowledge is warranted.

Many-to-many exchange without money: why people share their resources

This paper extends our knowledge of the growing movement of collaborative consumption, or people sharing with others, in a collective shift away from the outright purchase of things. The focus of the study is on the sharing of land, one of our most widely held and debt-laden assets, for food production, a fundamental human need that has not been the topic of other collaborative consumption research. The research presents a netnographic study of the motivations to participate in Landshare, a non-profit scheme operating in the UK, Canada, and Australia, which “connects growers to people with land to share.” The study finds there are significant social belonging and other benefits stemming from collaborative consumption and, in the case of Landshare, a new finding not previously reported in consumer behaviour research, of physical and mental health benefits. This expands the study of exchange as a consumer-to-consumer phenomenon, where no money changes hands.

Confessions of contemporary English opium-eaters: a netnographic study of consumer negotiation of over-the-counter morphine for misuse

Global increases in misuse of pharmaceutical opioids are a public health concern. Over-the-counter (OTC) morphine preparations are sold in the UK. A netnographic study explored online reporting of misuse of OTC morphine-based medicines. A systematic internet search was conducted using the terms; “J Collis Browne’s Mixture”; “J Collis Browne”; “Chlorodyne”; “Gee's Linctus”; “Morphine Squill”; “Kaolin & Morphine Mixture”; and “Opiate Squill Linctus” in combination with “forum”. Following application of exclusion criteria and removal of duplicates, 105 fora threads on 11 publically available online fora were analysed using the EPP method. Key decision-making factors for misuse was grounded in legal availability, curiosity and when in withdrawal. Consumptive effects included euphoria, nausea, vomiting and sedation, and were dependent on tolerance. Concern for harm associated with product additives (squill, kaolin) was reported. Decantation extracted morphine from kaolin-based products. Concerted sourcing efforts included multiple pharmacy accessing, appropriate customer profiling and falsifying medical screening. Displacement to online purchasing occurred, with concern for online sharing of customer information. Development of real-time pharmacy monitoring should incorporate national online pharmacy chains. Continued surveillance of internet drug fora as medium for knowledge exchange and indigenous harm reduction for the misuse of OTC medicines is warranted.

A Netnographic Study of Entrepreneurial Traits: Evaluating classic typologies using the crowdsourcing algorithm of an online community

This paper evaluates how the advices of experienced entrepreneurs to young start-up creators in an online community reflect entrepreneurship traits commonly found in conceptual typologies. The overall goal is to contrast and evaluate existing models based on evidence from an online community. This should facilitate future studies to improve current typologies by ranking entrepreneurial traits according to perceived relevance. In order to achieve these objectives, we have conducted a “netnographic study” (i.e., the qualitative analysis of web-based content) of 96 answers to the question “What is the best advice for a young, first-time startup CEO?” on Quora.com. Relying on Quora’s ranking algorithm (based on crowdsourcing of votes and community prestige), we focused on the top 50% of answers (which we shall call the “above Quora 50” category) considered the most relevant by its 2000+ followers and 120,000+ viewers. We used Nvivo as a Qualitative Data Analysis Software to code all the entries into the literature categories. These codes were then later retrieved using matrix queries to compare the incidence of traits and the perceived relevance of answers. We found that among the 50% highest ranking answers on Quora, the following traits are perceived as the most important for young entrepreneurs to develop: management style, attitude in interpersonal relations, vision, self-concept, leadership style, marketing, market and customer knowledge, innovation, technical knowledge and skills, attitude to growth, ability to adapt, purpose and relations system. These results could lead to improving existing typologies and creating new models capable of better identifying people with the highest potential to succeed in new venture creation.

‘Gap Year' in China: views from the participants and implications for the future

The present study is one of the first to assess the characteristics and consider the implications of the emerging gap year phenomenon within China. More specifically, the research answers three questions: (1) Who are the Chinese gap year takers? (2) What motivates the Chinese gap year participants' involvement in the new activity? and (3) How does the concept of a Chinese gap year differ from its Western counterpart? A netnographic study of 103 blogs was followed by 18 in-depth telephone interviews. The findings were compared with existing knowledge from studies about the Western gap year participants. It was found that individuals taking a Chinese gap year differed from their western counterparts both in demographic and behavioural terms. The type of gap year (career gap vs. pre-university gap) and forces from within the broader Chinese cultural context are producing a growing, distinctive and positively perceived travel phenomenon. The present study offers initial implications for international tourism marketing, as well as posing questions about the flexibility of educational programmes and human resource management in China; all of these interest groups might be able to meet the needs of this emerging niche market more creatively.