Digital Ethnography: Technologies and Methods for Studying Public Opinion on Social Networks
摘要
The purpose of this article is to summarize the evolution, characteristics, functionality, and structure of an epistemological model for representing the public opinion induction-formation process on social media, using Tweeter as a case study (Currently X). To this purpose, (i) this process is modeled based on six ethnographic categories from which the universe of discourse is derived, associated with the respective aristotelian and kantian notions, in order to elucidate the idiosyncratic aspects related to the formation and dissemination of knowledge about specific communities and social phenomena on telematic networks, (ii) Based on these categories were identified the main anthropological, cultural, latent, unobservable variables, which nomothetically map the public opinion induction-formation process, (iii) These ethnographic variables are weighted using numerical methods and application software, of effectiveness proven in multiple disciplines in the fields of natural sciences, psychology, and others. Finally, a theoretical and methodological discussion is conducted on how such variables determine the opinion trends in community interest groups that coexist on Internet.