Beaulieu, Anne

Tracing networks of trust in Internet use: Connectivity as ethnographic and formal object

Abstract

Technology can be integrated into social relations (such as trust) and in turn can shape these relations into new patterns. In order to study how these relations are meaningful, ethnographic approaches are especially well suited and sensitive to what may be new about such relations. In order to discover new patterns, however, quantitative approaches may be most effective. In my study of trust and data sharing on the Internet, I attempt to combine elements of both ethnography and network analysis.

The ethnographic component is inspired by recent work in Internet studies, which aims to adapt the methods of ethnography to the context of electronic and digital resources. A connective approach has been suggested, in order to free ethnographers from the time-space co-location of traditional ethnography (Hine 2000). The analyst follows paths suggested by actors, as implemented in the media. The resulting depiction is that of a network (rather than of a location), shaped by different kinds of relations. These depictions of networks may be used to develop a typology of data-sharing configurations.

The occurrence of the various types can then be explored using network analysis. As a quantitative method, network analysis produces a quantitative description of connections, and can be applied to large amounts of data to discover networks. This approach also allows a description of networks in terms of certain specific attributes (size, density, centrality, homogeneity).

Metaphors and typologies constitute a dual strategy to combine these approaches. 'Connectivity' and 'networks' are notions that link the discourses about the object of study found in each method. The use of typologies further enables results from each approach to be correlated.