Netnography in System Sciences Research
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Item Netnographic Insights into Digital Influence: Authenticity in Written Posts of Tourism Influencers on Instagram(2025-01-07) Gewinner, IrinaThis study examines how tourism influencers construct authenticity in their written Instagram posts, addressing a gap in research that has largely focused on visual content. Using a netnographic approach, we analyze 109 posts from influencers across micro, macro, and mega categories, identifying linguistic and narrative strategies that balance personal authenticity with commercial promotion. Findings reveal how influencers use personal stories, transparency about sponsorships, and emotional engagement to maintain credibility while promoting branded content. Key themes include the use of pronouns, informal language, storytelling, and values like freedom, escapism, and materialism. These insights enhance our understanding of the dynamics between authenticity and influencer marketing, offering practical guidance for brands and influencers in building trust-based engagement.Item Born Twice: The Role of Social Media in Identity Redefinition after Sudden Disability(2025-01-07) Cavusoglu, Lena; Belk, Russell; Bonetti, Francesca; Borghini , Stefania; Sabatini, NadzeyaFrom being attacked by a shark to being stricken by illness, people who acquire disabilities later in life have unique lived experiences. There is, however, a commonality that binds them: the loss of a former identity and a rebirth into another life. They may also struggle with self-acceptance as they shun societal stigmas and perceived deviance from cultural norms. Through a netnographic study, we examine how identities are redefined with the help of social media. We trace the journey of athletes, influencers, and others experiencing sudden disabilities as they transition from medical facilities to the comfort of their homes. We present the four critical phases toward acceptance of a disabled identity and show the role of social media as a transformative tool for navigating social exclusion and prejudice, as well as being a conduit for self-expression.Item Cultural Cartography: Pathways to Enhance Netnographic Integration(2025-01-07) Mulvey, Michael; Belanger, Christopher; Krishnamurthy, ParthaThis research introduces cultural cartography as an innovative methodological approach integrating ontological foundations with reflective praxis to deepen digital discourse analysis. Using the 2022 Rogers Communications internet outage in Canada as a case study, we demonstrate the process of effective map-making and apply Narrative Mosaic Analysis (NMA) to examine how social media users expressed their frustrations, humour, and calls for accountability during the crisis. By mapping and analyzing textual and symbolic elements like emojis, memes, and hashtags, this approach uncovers how communities construct and communicate their shared experiences online. Cultural cartography advances netnographic research by offering a robust framework for integrating the nuanced dynamics of digital discourse, enabling a more comprehensive interpretation of how cultural realities are articulated and shared within digital environments. This methodological innovation provides a new lens for exploring the symbolic richness of online interactions and the narratives they create.Item Abject Visualization: A Duo Auto-netnography in the Legal Online Adult Entertainment Generative AI Cyborg Context(2025-01-07) Kozinets, Robert; Ashman, RachelAuto-netnography provides a nuanced understanding of human interactions with a generative visual AI platform, through an in-depth analysis of over 900 AI-generated cyborg adult entertainment images collected by a two-person netnographer team during a 15-month period of immersive engagement. After describing and developing the method and findings, including positioning the two researchers’ perspectives and queering the method, the research introduces, unpacks, and then inverts "abject visualization" to describe how AI images transgress and provoke. Likening concerns over humanity in the age of AI to LGBTQ threats to heteronormativity, this study challenges a range of dominant positions prevalent in the system sciences by emphasizing the need for research that delves deeply and longitudinally into the affective responses to technological systems and the complex intersection of human and artificial desires they inhabit.Item Introduction to the Minitrack on Netnography in System Sciences Research(2025-01-07) Gretzel, Ulrike; Bui, Tung; Kozinets, Robert