Reflecting on ethics in netnographic research

Netnography uses a mix of unobtrusive as well as interactive methods of research to study consumer behaviour online. The evolving technology has created greater avenues for researchers to apply different ethnographic methods online. However, it has also posed a number of ethical debates. This paper provides a reflective account of ethical dilemmas that were faced by me (researcher) while working on an ethics application using the methods of Netnography. It uses the context of the researcher's PhD research ethics application, to highlight the issues of domain, consent and privacy encountered while working on the ethics application. This paper contributes through the use of reflexivity to highlight the processual dilemmas faced in detailing the Netnographic methodology.