How to Overcome the Challenges of Using Netnography in Tourism Research? Reflections on a Ph.D. Journey

Abstract

With the increasing relevance of the use of Internet to contemporary world, online spaces are outstanding as a fruitful field for research. In this context, netnography, also known as online ethnography is emerging as a method progressively used in tourism research. However, as netnography is still a recent method, it lacks further understanding and exploration of its use in the context of tourism studies. Thus, this study aims at identifying the challenges in using netnography as part of the research process in tourism. By describing online ethnography as one of the phases of a mixed-methods study, it addresses how challenging can be finding online groups and reaching the right audience, dealing with the amount of online data and applying complementary methods and triangulation in the context of a Ph.D. thesis in tourism. Finally, this study reflects on strategies to overcome those issues in order to contribute to a diversified methodological discussion in tourism academia.