Paper short abstract:

Drawing from experiences of researching digital feminisms on Weibo, this paper examines the promises and challenges of using digital ethnography to track contingent and dynamic social media events and study the emergence of networked feminist resistance in China.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper I draw from my own experiences of researching how Chinese young women engage in feminist discussions and practices on the Twitter-like microblogging site of Weibo to consider the promises of using digital ethnography to track contingent and dynamic social media events and study the emergence of networked feminist resistance. In the meantime, this paper aims to respond to the challenges facing digital media researchers who study culturally and politically sensitive topics and have to navigate techno-political contexts of surveillance, censorship and governance. It hence problematise the conception of the digital as a global, monolithic and stable terrain.

Entangled with my commitment to feminist epistemologies, the specific form of digital ethnography presented here seeks to reflect on research practices as affective and power-laden processes where researchers and participants develop connection and collaboration but also constantly encounter discomforts and anxieties. I propose to apply the notion of postdigital intimacies to understanding the complex research relationship in the post-digital settings of communication where binaries such as online/offline and public/private have been increasingly destabilised. I argue that the negotiation and contemplation of intimacies raises troubling questions about how (digital) ethnographers present themselves within and beyond these research ‘sites’ and generate meaningful discussion around inclusive and participatory potentials of employing digital ethnographic methods.

Paper short abstract:

This paper conceptualizes Pakistani state's cash transfers program (BISP) as a digital infrastructural assemblage in order to unpack the contradictory politics of (im)mediation and transparency that have become central to its dys/fuctioning.

Paper long abstract:

How are (gendered) material-human relations produced and enacted through, and within, a digital infrastructural assemblage? Drawing upon ethnographic research on Pakistani state’s premier cash transfers program, this paper follows the complex and contradictory politics of beneficiaries’ hopes and frustrations as they navigate the uncertain processes of biometric identity verification required to access cash grants. Since 2008, Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) has sought to reduce poverty and empower women who, as representatives of over 5 million of the poorest households, are identified as the primary beneficiaries of the program. As in the case of many similar programs across the global south in the recent years, the desire to secure transparent and objective procedures that are supposed to safeguard against the various forms of human mediation has made the infrastructures of biometric verification and data analytics becoming central to its workings. While the officials themselves and the evaluation reports by the powerful global institutions applaud the program for not only learning from but also contributing to, the of socalled best practices repertoire of socio-economic inclusion through transparency the actual everyday experiences and interactions between the state functionaries and the beneficiaries remain absent from their accounts. Not only have the digital infrastructures multiplied human labors of governing and of being governed, they have made the procedures and their outcomes more opaque and uncertain while producing novel and perverse forms of (human) mediation undermining its own promises of inclusion and empowerment.

Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the link between Hinduism and digital technology within the context of rising ethnonationalism in India.

Paper long abstract:

The paper examines the link between Hinduism and digital technology within the context of rising ethnonationalism in India. Drawing on the idea of ‘Onlife’ (Floridi, 2014) experience, it explores whether the intersection of online and offline spaces (onlife) promotes inclusion and recognition of the previously silenced and marginalised voices (such as Dalit [untouchable caste as classified by the Government of India], LGBTQIA+, Female) within Hinduism. In digital space, online and offline religious spheres constantly integrate and create a new combined experience called ‘onlife’. The fluidity and flexibility of digital space encourage diverse voices in Hinduism, which were once excluded and marginalised by the Brahmanical (priestly caste) privileges and caste hierarchy (Balaji, 2017). It facilitates access to religious activities for socially excluded and marginalised Hindus. The onlife experience of Hinduism accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the curtailment of physical interaction, which led to an increase in innovative ways of religious engagement like e-Satsang (spiritual discourse or sacred gathering), e-prayer, etc.

The merging of the religious landscape with the political nationalist agenda has transformed the significance of a place from a pilgrimage site to a religiopolitical centre. Through the lens of the Gaya pilgrimage using qualitative method, this study explores the evolving nature of Hindu pilgrimage surrounding the rise of Hindu nationalist politics (Hindutva); and how the digital Hindutva (Hindu nationalists) activists build and maintain the momentum of Hindu nationalist ideology in onlife spaces.

Paper short abstract:

This paper is an ethnographic exploration of digital subcultures of Islamophobia in India, specifically on Youtube through the phenomenon of ex-Muslim voices and its appropriation by Hindu nationalists.

Paper long abstract:

While studies have documented a general decline in piety across religions over the past twenty five years, the incidences of individuals leaving Islam have been viewed in Islamophobic terms as a crisis of enlightenment within the religion. The broadbrushing of specific socio-political and spiritual motivations makes way for the global right to justify the othering of Muslims by weaponizing statements and beliefs of ex-Muslims. In all of this, what has been emergent yet understudied is the internet’s role in enabling subcultures of anti-Muslim discourses via the amplification and appropriation of ex-Muslim voices.

In this paper, I study the Hindutva subculture centered around two ex-Muslim “personalities” who have amassed a substantial following on social media platforms in India. While some ex-Muslims face threats to life from orthodox Islamic sects, their online personas are committed to engaging other Muslims debating the (de)merits of Islam. However, a look at their comment section and related content channels through algorithmic suggestions will reveal one of their strongest draws is Hindutva supporters. The aim is to qualitatively map the reception and circulation of anti-Muslim views in this eco-system where the Hindu right meets the ex-Muslim by using online ethnography, critical discourse analysis, and semi-structured interviews. Further, by historically grounding the findings within pre-digital ex-Muslim discourses in the subcontinent, we hope to offer a contextually-grounded understanding of the dynamics of cross-cutting discourses and their impact on far-right political opinion-forming processes on the digital sphere.

Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to analyze, through a hashtag network, the digital activism of an Indigenous organization from the Amazonia (COICA) in the context of COVID-19 to see how the use of social networks has evolved in this indigenous organization as a new form of political activism.

Paper long abstract:

This paper presents the results of a digital ethnography on the social networks of the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA) on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For the results, I will present a hashtag network to analyze the digital activism carried out by this indigenous organization, specifically in three periods: October 2019 – February 2020 (pre-COVID-19), March 2020 – July 2020 (COVID-19), and July 2021 – November 2021 (post-COVID-19). I chose these three periods to see if and to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic affected the digital activism of this transnational indigenous organization. The findings show that as of March 2020, the publications in the different social networks increased, as well as online activities such as webinars, while this indigenous organization began to implement other tools for their digital activism, such as podcasts and digital magazines.

With this, I aim to discuss how Indigenous Peoples have been using different technologies, specifically the Internet, for new forms of political activism, seeking new ways for their voices to be heard.

Paper short abstract:

The paper, originating from an ethnography of a Brazilian residential block, discusses how digital technology shapes the daily lives of its inhabitants. On WhatsApp, residents foster bonds, manage public and private domains, discuss common goods, and mirror Brazil's micro-level political context.

Paper long abstract:

Residential blocks are complex ecosystems guided by norms and regulations to balance interests and sustain conviviality. This dynamic has been transformed by a digital dimension that exerts an impact on the infrastructure of the building and on sociability of residents, being used to fulfil a wide range of material, symbolic, and emotional needs. Through WhatsApp, residents trade and sell items, establish social bonds, provide emotional support, build trust and cohesion, care for those in need, facilitate communication, acquire information, participate in activism, and advocate for transparency in the property manager's actions. The platform is also used to engage residents and democratise discussions about their property and common goods, such as infrastructure, water, silence, safety, and privacy. This paper originates from an ethnography conducted in a residential block with 438 flats in Brasilia, Brazil's capital and bureaucratic hub. It is part of an ongoing PhD project that discusses how infrastructure, bureaucracy, and sociability are entangled by digital technology in the contemporary conceptualisation of residential blocks; and how digital technology becomes intertwined with the daily lives and routines of their inhabitants. The fieldwork relies on participant observation, interviews, and engagement in digital spaces. Through the interdisciplinary lenses of digital anthropology (Miller et al, 2021; Horst; Miller, 2012) and communication studies (Hall, 2016), the study highlights how digital interactions reconfigure the boundaries between streets, common areas of the block, and home interiors of the residents, and finally, how these interactions come to mirror the broader political dynamics of Brazil at a micro level.

Paper short abstract:

My paper analyzes the labor of rural migrants in the fast fashion e-commerce in Guangzhou, China. It presents ethnographic observations on internet “influencers” who sell low-cost clothing on social media.

Paper long abstract:

My paper analyzes the labor of rural migrants in the world of fast fashion e-commerce in Guangzhou, China. It presents preliminary ethnographic material on internet “influencers” who sell low-cost clothing on social media within the city’s wholesale markets, a practice known as “live broadcasting” or zhibo. Drawing on the concepts of fast fashion, this paper reflects on the material and embodied experiences of employment and labor as these migrant influencers create spectacles of consumerist urgency and desire through their scripts and performances; some that are impromptu and some that are rehearsed. I argue that the digital landscapes created by algorithms, despite their seemingly immaterial and ephemeral qualities, require the material and concrete aspects of bodily labor in order to properly function within the sphere of e-commerce. More specifically, the magical and spectral-like characteristics of the algorithm, much like the qualities of the fast fashion industry, require cultural work of bodily performance in order to exist at all. In effect, the work of zhibo compels us to revisit and to reassess our fundamental assumptions of labor, specifically waged and non-waged work, in light of the unprecedented rise of temporary work, migrant entrepreneurship, and e-commerce in urban China.

I take this case study as a point of departure to reflect on the intersection between performance, knowledge, and affect in the production of digital ethnography, which remains grounded in embodied

Paper short abstract:

This paper examines Yango's impact on labour regulation, work practices, employment relationships, and socio-economic disparities in platform access in the transportation sector.r.

Paper long abstract:

Cameroon's migration is predominantly from rural to urban areas due to economic and social factors. Internal migration has led to urbanization and the growth of the informal sector in Douala and Yaoundé, encompassing various occupations. Traditional yellow taxis have been the principal form of public transport, but the emergence of digital platforms, such as Yango, has transformed the urban transportation system since 2021. Yango, run by Yandex, allows users to book a trip by providing the destination address, with the cost calculated by the application's algorithms. This has created inequalities among taxi drivers and new employment dynamics, with the younger generation and the analogue generation joining the taxi business. Using an explanatory case study methodology, this paper examines the emergence of Yango and its impact on labour regulation within the transportation sector. It is framed within the theoretical perspectives of labour sociology and platform studies, offering insights into how digital platforms influence work practices and employment relationships in the taxi industry. Additionally, it explores the socio-economic disparities in platform access, such as age, ethnicity, and gender, and the resulting workplace and labour-related disputes that have emerged."

Paper short abstract:

The paper details ethnographic methods employed to study user-initiated economic practices on a Chinese coupon app, aiming to understand social interactions and relations in a commercial and private sphere. It addresses methodological challenges and explores ethical issues in Internet ethnography.

Paper long abstract:

The paper articulates the ethnographic approaches that I employed to study users' self-initiated economic practices on a Chinese coupon app and their associated private social networking accounts. The research object of my fieldwork is people's social interactions in an online context that is both commercial and private. The study aims to understand and interrogate the nature of those social interactions and their associated social relations. To pursue answers, the data I intended to capture needed to offer insights into the participants' use experiences, including, but not limited to, their perceptions, understandings, and affective motivations. Moreover, the study also intends to examine those experiences of social interactions in a broader social and cultural context. Therefore, to achieve such a research scope, digital ethnographic methods such as the walkthrough method, the 'media go-along' technique, and semi-structured interviews were employed.

This paper seeks to demonstrate the methodological challenges of conducting ethnographic research regarding user-initiated digital economic practices. Second, the paper draws on the literature on qualitative methods, particularly ethnographic approaches and qualitative interviews, and explains how each method can be applied to my research, its limitations and advantages. Finally, the paper addresses the ethical issues I encountered and reflects on them in the context of Internet ethnography in a hybrid sphere.