As I mentioned in my previous blog post I have chosen to investigate cryptocurrencies as my media niche for my digital artefact. In this blog post my goal is to provide a map of how I am going to ethnographically go about my research into my niche. The primary method that I am going to use to conduct an ethnographic research study on my niche is observation and field research. Being part of the cryptocurrency online community for over a year has allowed me to personally observe common participatory behaviour throughout the different platforms the niche is involved with. Having this experience will allow me to utilise the research method being auto-ethnography. This includes the majority of the top social media platforms eg. YouTube, Facebook. In observing my niche, taking notes and publishing information from social media onto my blogs etc, my highest priority is to only publish information if it is ethical to do so. I am going to make sure to not post usernames and specific comments to not expose anyone online.

​​Creating a field map/site is a crucial element of performing a thorough ethnographic analysis since it helps you to better grasp your selected media niche and conduct in-depth quality research. 

Throughout the cryptocurrency online community I have observed numerous personas, cryptos, participants and social media platforms and compiled a mind map which sums up the niche in detail. Being in Facebook group chats has given me knowledge as to who the general audience is that consumes cryptocurrencies. Many people put on a critical persona and negatively comment on specific ideas within the community. YouTubers that I consume who cover cryptocurrencies such as Crypto Capital Venture and Jason Pizzino often put on specific personas to cater to an audience. YouTubers often hype up and exaggerate cryptocurrency news to get people to watch their videos.

References

NerdWallet. 2021. What Is Cryptocurrency? Beginners Guide to Digital Cash – NerdWallet. [online] Available at: <https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/cryptocurrency-7-things-to-know&gt;