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Paper presented by Steven McDermott (cssem@leeds.ac.uk ) at the Communication Networks on theWeb 18 - 19 December 2008, Amsterdam School of Communications Research,University of Amsterdam
Draft – Not for Citation
1
Arbitrarily Combining the Social Network Approachwith the Ethnographic Approach
Paper presented by Steven McDermott (cssem@leeds.ac.uk) at the Communication Networks on the Web 18 - 19 December 2008, Amsterdam School of Communications Research, University of Amsterdam.
Introduction
Simply combining the ethnographic approach to the structural approach of network analysis is fraught with, at the same time, dangers and potentiality (Knox et al., 2006).Using hyperlink analysis and textual data gathered during a situation on the Singaporeblogosphere as a case study I ask, could a combination of the two create a ‘better’picture or will it result in the metaphor being mistaken for the ‘real’? Lin et al. (2006)using the structural social network analysis approach have defined the Singaporeblogosphere as a “community with no obvious central topic”, and stated that it was arather closed network, or rather closed off from the wider global network of bloggers.The ethnographic approach tends to take a very different position arguing, “It is rarelythat we find a community that is absolutely isolated, having no outside contact. At thepresent moment of history, the network of social relations spreads over the wholeworld, without any absolute solution of continuity anywhere (Radcliffe-Brown,1940:224).” This paper addresses the inadequacies of using hyperlink analysis or theethnographic approach alone when uncovering online networks. Arbitrarilycombining the two approaches will highlight the theoretical problems, benefits andlimitations. Using a situation in 2006, I extracted a corpus of 29 blog posts. Using thesocial network approach I ask, which blogs are the keyplayers? Using theethnographic approach, I ask what discourses and styles of discourse appear in theSingapore blogosphere?Social network analysis seeks to trace the flow of information that passes through anetwork of relations. As actors make use of computer networks the computingnetworks are “clear indicators of communication structures within society” (Garrido& Halavais, 2003). Garrido and Halavais argue, “A map of the communicationnetwork is roughly isomorphic to the structure of the relationships among the users(2003).” Creating a Website or blog, the blogger ties their own efforts to those with
Paper presented by Steven McDermott (cssem@leeds.ac.uk ) at the Communication Networks on theWeb 18 - 19 December 2008, Amsterdam School of Communications Research,University of Amsterdam
Draft – Not for Citation
2
similar interests using hyperlinks. Designing and placing a hyperlink is an act thatrequires a certain level of hypertext mark-up language (html) knowledge and asAdamic and Adar (2001) state, a form of cognitive, social or structural connectionbetween the blogs. Jackson (1997) and Kling (2000, cited in Garrido & Halavais,2003) indicate, “Hyperlinks represent reasonable approximations of socialrelationships.” I have targeted blogs using hyperlink network analysis uncovering thekeyplayers of the Singapore blogs with higher levels of ‘closeness centrality’ and‘betweenness centrality’ (de Nooy et al., 2005) to assess which blogs are more‘important’ to the flow of information. A blogs position indicates whether it hasaccess to information and better opportunities to spread information.
Social Network Analysis
Deleuze and Guattari (2004) present us with a model of knowledge and perceptionknown as rhizome. The rhizomatic model of knowledge according to Cavanagh(2007:43) results in a network model that appears to be chaotic. The rhizomaticnetwork works on the principles that any point in the network can be and is connectedto every other point in the network. The logic of the connection in the rhizomaticnetwork is movement. A connection is the sprouting off in a new line. The lines mayappear to be random as they do in hyperlink analysis but they do have a purpose.Hyperlinked culture has as its main aim ‘intertextual evolution’ (Dreyfus, 2001)whereby all possible associations and linkage is enabled regardless of how tenuousthey may appear. Resulting in a disordered knowledge and enabling a new form of knowledge to emerge. The main point with Deleuze and Guattari’s rhizomaticnetwork is that there is no hierarchy; no node takes precedence over another. Theorder is in constant flux with total inclusiveness. The flow of information howeverpre-dates the existence of the nodes. The nodes are interruptions in the flow. Thenodes merely channel the flow of information. Cavanagh (2007:47) argues that themain concern regarding the utility of Deleuze and Guattari’s rhizomatic network isthat it is a philosophical position rather than a method for studying hyperlinks. InDeleuzian terms, the Internet itself is the node in the flow of information andknowledge exchange.
Paper presented by Steven McDermott (cssem@leeds.ac.uk ) at the Communication Networks on theWeb 18 - 19 December 2008, Amsterdam School of Communications Research,University of Amsterdam
Draft – Not for Citation
3
Knox et al. (2006) argue that American Social network methods map rolescomprehensibly and this results in the incorrect assumption that they have delineatedthe ‘real’ social structures. Although it provides a counter measure to theencroachment of rational choice theory in American social sciences the problem isthat it ends up reinforcing a view of relations that are very far removed from theeveryday experiences of people. Knox et al. argue that Social Network Analysis’focus on structuralism has in recent years shifted to attempts at developing a culturalapproach. This shift in focus has come about because of the study of socialmovements by researchers such as Ansell (1997), Bearman (1995), Gould (1995), andMische (2003). For Knox et al. the problem is that other methods of social researchare either quantitative or qualitative. The network produces a unique situation unlikethe graphs, charts and diagrams of statistical data. The network according to Knox etal. results in a position because of its use as a method, metaphor and form, of beingthe sign and the signifier, the referent and the representation. This they argue opens uppotential benefits and new horizons but is also potentially dangerous. Similar to Knoxet al. (2006) I will arbitrarily add the anthropological or ethnographic approach to thestructural approach of American Social Network Analysis. I intend to conduct a two-tiered approach in the hope that it sheds light on the methodological issues raised indoing so.I chose the Singapore blogosphere as a case study as it is, according to others (Lin etal, 2006 and Hurst 2006), an isolated and distinct network. In adherence with Nadel(cited Cavanagh, 2007) the important factor is to not to arbitrarily demarcate a unit of analysis to study. By reducing the social to the network, it allows for the unit of analysis studied to materialise throughout the process of conducting the research. Thenetwork will be discovered using empirical evidence rather than imposed by theresearcher at the beginning.Social Network Analysis is a formal, mathematical technique of analysing relationaldata. It is concerned with the contacts, ties and connections, group attachments andmeetings (Scott, 2000:3). “The relations are not the properties of the agentsthemselves, but of systems of parts; these relations connect pairs of agents into largerrelational systems.” (Scott, 2000:3). The appropriate method for the analysis of
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