Netnography in linguistic research

Abstract

Netnography is used strategically in different social, economic, and cultural research. In the field of linguistics, it can contribute to the analysis of identities and social interactions in which language is present in cyberspace. The purpose of this study is to reflect on the practical usefulness of netnography in linguistic research. To this end, it proposes the role of the linguist as netnographer and suggests a set of areas and lines of research that concern him/her in the gestation of a linguistic netnography. The paper concludes that netnography is a qualitative method that allows linguists to interpret the social life of virtual communities, mainly in relation to language in use and social structures.

Keywords:
Ethnography; Netnography; Linguistics; Fieldwork; Transdiscipline