ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on netnography, a form of qualitative, social media research drawn from ethnography. Netnography gathers and analyzes current digital social interaction patterns and communication taking place on the internet. Used in social media research, netnography assists researchers to delve into the online social worlds of research participants while upholding participant privacy. It provides the unique ability to understand the world of social media and consumer or personal experiences as they occur. Through an ‘as it happens’ nature, netnography has the powerful ability to identify raw and authentic experiences that are contemporary. As society develops and changes the way internet and social media are used, netnography is well placed to capture insightful information found online. Throughout this chapter, a netnographic study into the experience of occupational participation for bloggers living with leukemia is drawn upon to highlight the process of conducting netnography research and demonstrate its usefulness for occupation-focused research.
