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‘I’m Always on Facebook!’: Exploring Facebook as a Mainstream Research Tool and Ethnographic Site

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Digital Methods for Social Science

Abstract

This chapter discusses a research project which explored the everyday use of the social network site (SNS) Facebook by first-year undergraduate students in their transition to university. It not only explores the opportunities and challenges of using Facebook as a research site and how this digital approach may differ from a ‘mainstream’ ethnography, but also argues for this approach to be viewed as ‘mainstream’ due to the mediated nature of contemporary social life.

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© 2016 Eve Stirling

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Stirling, E. (2016). ‘I’m Always on Facebook!’: Exploring Facebook as a Mainstream Research Tool and Ethnographic Site. In: Snee, H., Hine, C., Morey, Y., Roberts, S., Watson, H. (eds) Digital Methods for Social Science. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137453662_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137453662_4

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-55862-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-45366-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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