ABSTRACT
Netnography is being increasingly applied to study educational topics. Despite the growing body of netnographic research devoted to education, there are relatively few educational netnographies, and only a few that seek to develop the method for the purposes of educational researchers. This chapter aims to encourage greater methodological innovation and enhance the revelatory potential of netnography’s investigative design in educational research. In this regard, we provide two thought-provoking examples of contemporary technocultural phenomena occurring in the interrelated domains of consumer culture, social media culture and influencers, and the creator economy that pose new questions and methodological challenges to netnography and that may inspire netnographers in education: (1) emerging practices of visual technoculture and (2) increasing human–technology entanglements. We discuss these phenomena as they involve and alter three fundamental components of the technocultural experience: content, relationships and agency. For both phenomena, we also highlight potential implications that bridge them with educational settings, which could serve as important sources of inspiration for educational netnographers and educational social media researchers.
