(WIP) 10 — Music XR field trip / Netnographic Methodology

Mark Ashmore

10 min readSep 21, 2023

1 — introduce the concept of Netnography

2 — Timeline of events attended and highlight key points

3 — present case study on Arana Grande Fortnite

4 — present case study on alternative to Fortnite

5 — Compare and contrast through analysis

6 — Conclusion

2- Timeline of events attended. (Highlight which one’s was attendance )

What is Netnography

Focus, Data, Engagement, Praxis — These four elements distinguish netnography from all methods of understanding and provide a methodological basis for any netnographic project (Kozinets 2020)

Why employ Netnography as the framework for this researcher

Cultural focus links the purpose and core conceptual notions of netnography to the guiding principles of anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, and other fields of ethnographic approaches (Kozinets 2020).

Social media data differentiates netnography from traditional ethnography and other methods such as surveys, focus groups, and personal in-depth interviews, as immersive engagement distinguishes netnography from more experienced-distanced methods of understanding social media data such as content analysis, text mining, quantitative modelling, and big data analytic’s, and adds deep human insight that comes from informed cultural reflection (Kozinets 2020).

Finally, netnographic praxis set netnography apart from generic forms of online or digital ethnography, or other well known approaches to online research such as Hine’s ‘Virtual ethnography (Hines 2000) or Hines later work ‘ethnographies of the internet’ (Hines 2015)

When all four elements are present together, the work can be nothing other than a netnography (Kozinets 2020).

7.2 — Ethical guidelines employed in the Netnography framework.

Morality is a choice of right behaviour over wrong. Moral reasoning is how we come to make those choices rationally. Ethics is both the brand of knowledge that studies moral principles and those moral principles themselves (Kozinets 2020).

(Morris 2016) outlines a deontological approach and lays out a principle based view of research ethics which will give this researcher guidelines for online netnographic research and therefore a framework of ethical guidelines to adhere to through out this project (Kozinets 2020).

(Morris 2016) follows this approach to provide five of the most commonly accepted guiding principles of ethical research, which follow:

Autonomy — The research participant should be as aware as possible of the purpose of the research, participants should be free to agree or decline to take part in the research, or to withdraw an any time without coercion, threat, or penalty.

Beneficence — the research should be beneficial, rigorously designed and conducted, and have positive effects.

Non-Maleficence — the researcher must make diligent efforts to avoid possible harm to participants and mitigate any unavoidable harm through precautionary measures.

Confidentiality — participants personal data must be kept private from everyone except those with a strict need to know.

Integrity — the researcher must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest and conduct every aspect of the research using applicable and legitimate standards of research integrity.

Setting up the digital field trip

With (Morris 2016) principles for ethical research in mind, I have devised an Immersive field trip document, that will enable me to document the trip and record the information for analysis.

Autonomy:

Question: How does the principle of autonomy manifest in the context of netnographic research into XR music, what is the focus?

Reason: This question serves as a foundational ethical guideline in netnography, ensuring that participants have the freedom to participate without coercion, aligning with the principles of informed consent.

Headline: Explain how I got access to a virtual space and by whom, explain who I am speaking to in a Virtual space and how I met them, and what the purpose of doing this is for to show focus, I will also outline the type of consent given.

Beneficence:

Question: What role does beneficence play in the design and execution of netnographic research in a XR music space?

Reason: This question highlights the importance of conducting research that is not only beneficial but also well-designed and executed to have positive effects on both the participants and the broader research community.

Headline: Explain why this particular virtual space is important and why we are here for the field trip, highlight key important contextual reasons and facts that will help place this virtual space into a wider context or narrative. This will provide Data for the experience.

Non-Maleficence:

Question: How can researchers effectively avoid potential harm to participants in netnographic studies, and what precautionary measures are essential?

Reason: Addressing this question demonstrates your commitment to ethical research by minimizing harm and ensuring participant safety.

Headline: What measures and how did I engage and participate inside the virtual space, explain how I used safe guarding in my participation to protect myself and others, whilst also maintaining a lived / live experience. (Engagement)

Confidentiality:

Question: What measures are employed to maintain the confidentiality of participants’ personal data in online netnography?

Reason: This question delves into the crucial aspect of safeguarding participants’ privacy, emphasizing your dedication to maintaining data integrity and ethical standards.

Headline: What documents are available to view of the experience and how are these stored, and what permissions are associated with them?

Integrity:

Question: How do researchers uphold integrity in online netnographic research, including disclosing conflicts of interest and adhering to research standards?

Reason: This question highlights your commitment to transparency, honesty, and ethical conduct throughout the research process, ensuring the trustworthiness of your findings.

Headline: Summarise the experience in my own words, so that the experience documented can be viewed from my point of view, and so there is no doubt that this is a lived experience with conversations and opinion that might be subject to change.

The framework will also include: The location in real life upon which the virtual experience was had, and upon what device. The location and URL or App that the virtual experience took place. Links to any video or images, or any other evidence.

Lastly I will look at Praxis, the headline will be — How did this experience influence your work, further exploration and opinion with the benefit of hindsight?

Introduction to XR Music Case Studies in Virtual Worlds during Covid Lockdown.

I will look at two case studies using the netnographic method — Arina Grande fortnite which is the main focus of this thesis, and then a contrasting experince at Lost Horizons to provide differenting contextual anylisis.

Write up this experience https://markashmorefrsa.medium.com/immersive-journal-avatars-lost-horizon-festival-94fc8e5f5030 (LOST HORIZON GLASTO REPLACEMENT)

Arina Grande Fortnite (Footage is on my Playstation?)

EDM Music (This could be a chapter) — https://markashmorefrsa.medium.com/the-virtual-reality-rave-scene-how-vrchat-has-transformed-how-generation-z-experiences-edm-music-8adcce314c95

Case Studies

Case study 1

The location in real life upon which the virtual experience was had?

Device used

Date of experience

The location and URL or App that the virtual experience took place.

Links to any video or images, or any other evidence.

Question 1 — Explain how I got access to a virtual space and by whom, explain who I am speaking to in a Virtual space and how I met them, and what the purpose of doing this is for to show focus, I will also outline the type of consent given.

Question 2 — Explain why this particular virtual space is important and why we are here for the field trip, highlight key important contextual reasons and facts that will help place this virtual space into a wider context or narrative. This will provide Data for the experience.

Question 3 — What measures and how did I engage and participate inside the virtual space, explain how I used safe guarding in my participation to protect myself and others, whilst also maintaining a lived / live experience. (Engagement)

Question 4- What documents are available to view of the experience and how are these stored, and what permissions are associated with them?

Question 5- Summarise the experience in my own words, so that the experience documented can be viewed from my point of view, and so there is no doubt that this is a lived experience with conversations and opinion that might be subject to change.

Praxis — How did this experience influence your work, further exploration and opinion with the benefit of hindsight?

Summary of key points (3 max)

End — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Fortnite

https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/news (Official website)

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-11199-1_6 ( 21 February 2019 ,The eSports industry is a highly complex environment that is continually evolving. Based on this innovativeness)

https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/29/21241414/fortnite-party-royale-ltm-mode

(April 2020 — Fortnite experimental mode is about partying, not fighting)

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022057419864531 ( July 17, 2019 examine how Fortnite players operate within their digital community )

https://online.ucpress.edu/jpms/article-abstract/31/4/3/109341 (Journal of Popular Music Studies (2019) 31 (4): 3–15. Popular music studies — social dance in the age of (anti) social media)

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=3314693 (Posted: 9 Feb 2020 The lawsuits against Epic Games alleging copyright infringement for use of the plaintiffs’ dance moves in “Fortnite” reveal the doctrine’s inadequacy to balance the interests between parties today. Exclusive rights in dance moves is flawed. )

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306460319301091 ( Volume 97, October 2019, Pages 27–34 — Almost half of the video game players purchased loot boxes over the past year.

Loot box purchasing is linked to problem video gaming. Loot box purchasing is linked to online gambling engagement and problem gambling. Loot box purchasing is indirectly related to mental distress.

Virtual Gigs

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/bjork-vulnicura-vr-album-quest

(Early work 2019)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-47116429

(Marshmello feb 2019)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52410647

(April 2020 — Travis Scott)

https://www.facebook.com/freepvrty/

(April — FreepartyVR indie crew doing raves from UK)

https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/30/21242668/fortnite-party-royale-social-space-metaverse-travis-scott

(Party Royale mode in fortnite discussed April 2020)

https://blog.roblox.com/2020/04/one-world-together-home-virtual-concert/

(April One world together Roblox global citizen party — response to covid — showing a video of a broadcast inside a game engine)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fcmNNW3ciw

(in game footage of Roblox together at home — its crap!)

https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/1/21244874/fortnite-diplo-concert-jordan-fisher-party-royale

(May 2020 Diplo DJ and Producer)

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/fortnite-travis-scott-future-music

(Offspring perform in World of Tanks Video game)

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/08/glastonbury-to-create-virtual-shangri-la-with-fatboy-slim-and-more

(June — Lost Horizon — Glastonbury goes virtual)

https://techcrunch.com/2020/06/10/wave-opens-the-door-for-musicians-looking-for-a-metaverse-beyond-fortnite/

(June — Wave VR raises 30 million for musicians looking for metaverse beyond fortnite)

https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/virtual-reality-livestreams-covid-1021683/

(Wave VR Virtual Gigs)

https://www.tomorrowland.com/en/around-the-world/welcome

(July Tomorrowland virtual gig 2 day digital festival, 8 stages, 60 artists)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZEeYIKlaUE

(July — Vrscout goes to lost horizon on Sansar at Glastonbury )

https://burningman.org/culture/virtual-brc-2020/

(August Burning Man Virtual)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/opinion/virtual-burning-man-2020.html

(Sept Burning Man goes virtual )

https://www.vrfocus.com/2020/09/get-front-row-access-to-tidal-concerts-in-oculus-venues-in-2020/

(October — Oculus Venues and Tidal)

https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/8/21423004/fortnite-party-royale-concert-series-dominic-fike

(Sept 2020 — I attended and have screen shots and video)

https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/24/21453061/ava-max-roblox-album-launch-party

(Sept 2020, Ava Max Album launch inside Roblox)

https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/5/21502149/roblox-virtual-music-events-concerts-ava-max-interview

(Oct 2020, Roblox has big plans for virtual events)

https://help.sansar.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040485692-Sansar-is-Available-for-Virtual-Events-Amid-Coronavirus-Emergency

(October 2020 — Host a virtual gig in Sansar — platform Lost Horizon used)

https://vrscout.com/news/major-lazer-oculus-venues-vr-show/

(Oct — Major Lazer Oculus Venues)

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/16/21570454/lil-nas-x-roblox-concert-33-million-views

(Nov 2020 Lil Nas X’s Roblox concert attended 33 million times)

https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/warner-music-investment-gaming-roblox-1234880693/

(Jan 2021 — Warner Music Invest Eight figure sum in Roblox for virtual gigs)

https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/sony-immersive-reality-concert-madison-beer-ces-1234882988

(January 2021 — Sony unveil new streaming concert technology at CES 2021)

https://www.redpillvr.com/en/

(Club / VR / AR experience company using haptics)

Emergent music gig economy