Netnography: observing and interacting with celebrity in the digital world

Netnography is an interpretive, qualitative research method that was introduced to consumer research by Robert Kozinets. Netnography adapts social science ethnographic research techniques such as non-participative and participative observation, photographs, unstructured and structured interviews, and so forth, to explore the activities of cultures and communities that materialise in the online world through computer-mediated systems of information exchange. In my research, I have used participative netnography to explore the online self-presentation strategies of female fashion bloggers on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. These women form a core part of the online Kate Middleton community and are ordinary individuals who employ ‘micro-celebrity’ strategies to establish and maintain a loyal group of online followers. Kate Middleton, Her Royal Highness Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, is the wife of Prince William and the mother of Prince George of the UK. Kate has an unprecedented effect on the British economy as the fashion brands she wears instantaneously sell out online. By outlining Kozinets’ guidelines and drawing on my own experiences of using netnography, I will demonstrate how social media content can be collected and analysed to provide a deep understanding of the cultural logic of celebrity.