Engagement and Ethics for Digital Ethnog­raphy: Reflections from (online) Indonesia in times of COVID-19

Abstract

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought out a number of urgent issues for ethnographers and other scholars working across online and offline spaces. Whereas the massive recourse to social media platforms and other digital means of communication led to a surge in popularity and credibility afforded to online research methods, the ethical challenges that accompany such a move have only begun to be explored. This paper draws on my experiences of conducting research with queer Indonesians between 2017 and 2022 to suggest an approach to ethics and engagement that takes seriously the blurring of the divide between private and public online data, the sensitivity of social media data beyond “terms and conditions”, and the material dimensions and intersectional hierarchies that suffuse online spaces and access to them. I argue for integrating “do no harm” approaches, such as cultivating an attitude of “intentional paranoia” towards the risks and dangers of storing and using online data of vulnerable groups, with active ethical strategies such as pursuing unusual research methods, speculation and applied engagement.