Anthropology as a way to study online communities

        In The Anthropology of Online Communities, the authors mainly argue that because online communities are culturally constructed, anthropology is a great way to investigate them. The authors give us many examples of possible themes of studying online communities, tell us how anthropology is better in studying online space than other disciplines are. For example, the writers say that the studies of online communities have been too dichotomous, so we should think about how to deconstruct "dichotomies of offline and online, real and virtual, and individual and collective" (456). They argue that in deconstructing the dichotomies, anthropology is the way to go. I most certainly agree with the authors' argument because I think there is so much to consider when it comes to online space and communities. In this sense, anthropology is well-suited since it takes a holistic approach to study things.
       Especially, I paid attention to the part "identity" in the article. I think identity in online space is something that others can't make for you- it is something that you intentionally create for yourself. So it is imperative to understand "why" a person wants to/ tries to assume a certain kind of identity on the internet. This is where anthropology becomes important, because anthropology tries to understand a phenomenon from "the native's point of view," as Geertz says.
       However, I also think that this is where anthropology can get dangerous. If we try to understand everything from a do-er's point of view, literally "everything" can be rationalized. If a person is leaning towards this anthropological view, he/she can say that "this can happen," "that can happen," "it happens in other societies, so you should understand," even without bothering to understand "why." In this sense, while taking an anthropological approach it will be important to know where to draw the boundary between logical/rational understanding of a phenomenon and blind understanding.