Ethnographic Study of Alternative Sports by Alternative Means: List Mining as a Method of Data Collection

Abstract

Increased usage and accessibility of the Internet has led to the rapid growth of cyber communities; typical of groups that have embraced this idea are those who participate in what have been termed alternative or lifestyle sports. Thus far, this online world has received little attention from ethnographers, but the potential for obtaining rich data in this area is huge, most notably through the practice of researching messages sent to Internet-based forums, known as list mining. The inclusion of list mining as a research method, however, is not without its problems and raises new ethical issues when conducting qualitative research. This paper examines in detail the ethical considerations concerning the use of list mining as a method of data collection within the alternative sporting subculture of Ultimate Frisbee.