Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin and Weizenbaum Institute gathered on May 12-13, 2026, for a workshop on digital ethnography jointly organized with the DiMES and Methods Lab.
The workshop introduced the theoretical foundations of digital ethnography and explored a range of methodological approaches, including walkthrough, walk-along, and scroll-back techniques, alongside hands-on exercises focused on the platforms TikTok and Instagram. The workshop was led by Dr. Daniela Jaramillo-Dent (University of Zurich and Università della Svizzera italiana).
Daniela Jamarillo-Dent introduces different techniques in digital ethnography
Participants learned about conducting digital ethnographic research on social media platforms and explored how platform affordances and vernaculars shape online behavior, engagement, and forms of connection, with particular attention to marginalized communities and hard-to-reach groups. Through guided walkthrough exercises examining digital platforms, researchers reflected on field note-taking, multimodal analysis, reporting practices, and different approaches to sampling social media content. The subsequent scroll-back exercise focused on user-centered research approaches, incorporating users into the study process, and interviewing research participants.
Discussions emphasized the importance of researcher positionality and reflexivity in digital ethnographic research, as well as researcher well-being, informed consent, and the well-being of research participants. Overall, the workshop provided practical methodological tools and critical perspectives for conducting ethically grounded digital ethnographic research on platforms.