The chore of virtual ethnography: reflections on observation and sample

Abstract

Within the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of social policies were implemented and managed through the web. The recipients of these interventions have found themselves in Facebook Groups, sharing doubts and concerns about access to the programs. These environments have concentrated a massive number of participants and daily interactions, making their observation relevant. Starting from the implementation of a virtual ethnography in those virtual environments, the aim of this article is to reflect on the stages involved in virtual ethnography and the framework of theoretical and methodological decisions involved in the registration and sampling of the publications and all the content. That is deployed in these virtual spaces, evidencing the preeminence and significance of the object of study, the theoretical perspective and the research objectives.