Researching online communities: Systematic review of netnography in journalism studies

Elena Moure García; José Luis Capón García; Berta García Orosa

doi:10.65598/rps.6028

Autores

Elena Moure García Departamento de Ciencias de la Comunicación, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela
José Luis Capón García Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, España https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8519-9340
Berta García Orosa Departamento de Ciencias de la Comunicación. Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, España https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6126-7401

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65598/rps.6028

Palavras-chave:

Netnography, Digital Journalism, Journalism research, Systematic literature review, Online communities

Resumo

Virtuality has established itself as a central social space, giving rise to new forms of relationships and the formation of communities that transcend interpersonal communication. In this context, the development of specific methodologies for this new trend has become a necessity for research in the social sciences. Among these, netnography, developed primarily by Robert V. Kozinets, has established itself as a qualitative method suitable for understanding the cultural particularities of digital communities. Although its use is widespread in fields such as marketing and tourism, it was necessary to map its presence in journalism studies. This article presents a systematic review of the literature examining the current state of netnography in journalism research, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A total of 74 articles were analyzed based on a search of the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The analysis reveals three main findings: first, a limited and fragmented adoption of the method in journalism studies despite its methodological maturity; second, the persistence of ethical, methodological, and access-related challenges to digital platforms; and third, under-explored thematic areas that limit the understanding of digital journalism cultures and the dynamics of online communities linked to journalism. The results highlight the need to further explore the methodological potential of netnography for the study of digital journalism, through greater rigor in its implementation and an expansion of its empirical applications. This work contributes to journalism studies by providing a systematic and holistic assessment of the strengths, limitations, and opportunities of netnography as a methodological tool for understanding the transformations of journalism in the digital age, thus establishing a basis for future research that seeks to capture the complexity of contemporary journalistic practices in virtual environments.

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