From Netnography to Nethnography: An Anzac commemorative experience trial.

This project advocates the combination of ethnography with netnography to form a new qualitative method, nethnography. In doing so the authors engineer a synergistic blend of phenomenological praxis. Through the researcher’s lived experience (ethnography) enhanced empathy of virtual data (netnography) is possible. This is achieved by the systematic targeting of non-dyadic online data, which is then informed by the researcher’s own experience. Proponents improve both insight and transferability while claiming a reduction in researcher bias. The second part of this paper is an empirical trial of nethnography using commemorative data from the National Anzac Centre (NAC), Australia. Three unstructured data sets; two online and one in-situ were compiled and processed using the analytical software NVivo and Leximancer. Visitor experience at the NAC is then explored using a seminal consumer model as an interpretive lens. Through a process of latent thematic analysis three themes emerge related to experience co-creation. Firstly, evoking empathy through a focus on innocence. Secondly, enhancing visitor engagement through the conservative use of hero-worship. Thirdly, manipulating spatial perceptions by engineering a blend of symbolism and digital technology.