[Air-L] virtual ethnography and cyber anthropology

[laetitia le chatton]

Does the cyber anthroppology assumes a "network" of interactions? Because
cybernetic models (issued from WW2 and Coldwar) are based on the figure of
networks.
If it assumes such organisation, then cyber-anthropology fails to reevalute
the distinction between virtual and real: The virtual as a field *born on
this metaphor*...I thought on the contrary( according to the title) that
cyber antropology would me much more emphasizing the distinction
virtual/real before reading your mail!

Sincerely,
Laetitia


2009/2/4 Mathias Fuchs <fuchs.mathias at googlemail.com>

> Thank you, that makes sense, I have however problems with the notion of
>
> "performed purely in the virtual arena".
> There are so few purely virtual arenas, almost everything seems to be
> augmented virtuality, mixed realities or augmented reality as Philippe
> Kerremans and others call it.
>
> Where would you look for pure virtuality?
> Mathias
>
> --
>
> Mathias Fuchs
>  Programme Leader MA Creative Technology and MSc Creative Games
>  Salford University, School of Art & Design
>
>  http://creativetechnology.salford.ac.uk/fuchs
>  phone: +44 161 2956157
>
> home: 4 Deeping Ave.
>  Manchester, M16 8GB, UK
>  http://creativegames.org.uk
>  phone: +44 161 8815020
>
>
> pearse stokes wrote:
>
>> Hi
>>
>> It's great being on a mailing list with people who share the same
>> interests!
>>
>> First off, Chris, I hope it didn't sound like I was implying that you
>> didn't
>> have proper training. Proper ethnographic training is not confined to
>> anthropology departments, and not all anthropology departments would
>> provide
>> proper training. When I said 'proper' training, I meant just that; proper.
>>
>> Oliver,
>>
>> Regards the distinction between virtual ethnography and cyber anthropology
>> (as I see it, and hopefully many others will input here!),
>>
>> cyber anthropology
>>
>>   -
>>
>>   Concerned with the human and the technological
>>   -
>>
>>   Does not assume a shape or location of the field site
>>   -
>>
>>   May use ethnographic methods including virtual ethnography
>>
>> virtual ethnography
>>
>>   -
>>
>>   A method
>>   -
>>
>>   Performed purely in the virtual arena, which therefore, assumes the
>>   existence of a virtual arena and limits the shape and location of a
>> specific
>>   'culture'
>>   -
>>
>>   May be just one method in a research (lets hope so)
>>
>>  I use this distinction because most 'virtual' research is concerned with
>> the interaction or mediation of communications between individuals and
>> computers or individuals and individuals. No research is purely virtual.
>> It
>> can't be, by virtue of the fact that the researcher is there. Just like no
>> field site, however long ago, was truly separate from the world.
>>
>> As such, cyber anthropology, in my mind at least, is concerned with
>> researching that part of humanity that interface with technology. More
>> generally cyber anthropology can refer to researching mobile phone use,
>> epidemiological factors relating to computer use, the shape of family
>> structure around the computer, etc. It is acutely aware of the 'real'. In
>> fact, I would suggest that any good cyber anthropological or cyber
>> sociological research would not bring pre-conceptions like virtual and
>> real
>> into the research in the first place. To do so is to assume the shape and
>> location of the research site.
>>
>>
>> Now lets hear what other people think on the subject!
>>
>> Pearse
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>
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