Virtual ethnography and sample identification problems in the study of virtual communities

Abstract

Abstract: This paper aims to highlight the concept of virtual ethnography as one of the new research approaches that can be relied upon as a methodical research tool for the study of virtual communities in view of the great changes and developments in the communication environment as well as the emergence of a new paradigm that moves towards the study of spaces by relying on new concepts such as Big Data Research To this end, we attempt to demonstrate digitisation and their functional role in the methodical sense that it helps researchers to overcome many obstacles and difficulties, researchers who try to delimit the research sample in a methodical and precise way. In turn, this article attempts to shed light on the mechanisms of its use in communication studies by looking back at previous studies on the subject. We have reached the need to use and adapt methodological approaches and research methods to suit the study of new media such as the virtual ethnographic method which is the approraite method for the nature and structure of virtual society, in addition we have reached the need to use functional approaches when we study virtual communities ; the method of analysis of social networks and digital software.