Linganisha mbinu

	Nadharia ya Ardhi ya Kidijitali	Ethnografiya ya kidijitali
Nyanja	Mbinu za Kimaelezo	Mbinu za Kimaelezo
Familia	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Mwaka wa asili	2000s–2010s (as digital data became mainstream in qualitative research)	Late 1990s – 2000s
Mwanzilishi	Adapted from Glaser & Strauss (1967); digital application developed through the work of Murthy (2008) and others in online qualitative research	Christine Hine (virtual ethnography); Robert V. Kozinets (netnography)
Aina	Qualitative research design	Qualitative research method
Chanzo asilia	Murthy, D. (2008). Digital ethnography: An examination of the use of new technologies for social research. Sociology, 42(5), 837–855.	Kozinets, R. V. (2010). Netnography: Doing Ethnographic Research Online. Sage. ISBN: 978-1847875228
Majina mbadala	DGT, online grounded theory, internet-based grounded theory, grounded theory in digital contexts	online ethnography, virtual ethnography, internet ethnography, netnography
Zinazohusiana	6	6
Muhtasari	Digital Grounded Theory applies the systematic inductive logic of grounded theory to data gathered from digital and online environments — social media platforms, forums, blogs, comment sections, and other internet-mediated communication. Rather than simply using grounded theory on text that happens to come from digital sources, it involves adapting sampling, collection, and ethical procedures to the specific affordances and constraints of online data, while retaining the core commitment to theory generation grounded in empirical material.	Digital ethnography is a qualitative research method that adapts traditional ethnographic fieldwork to online and digitally mediated settings. Drawing on sustained participant observation, document collection, and sometimes interviews, the researcher immerses themselves in one or more digital communities — social media platforms, forums, gaming spaces, or messaging groups — to understand how culture, identity, and social practice are constructed through digital interaction. The approach recognises that online spaces are not merely reflections of offline life but distinctive sites of cultural production in their own right.