Cybermethodology is a newly emergent field that focuses on the creative development and use of computational and technological research methodologies for the analysis of next-generation data sources such as the Internet. The first formal academic program in Cybermethodology[1] is being developed by the University of California, Los Angeles.
Cybermethodology is an outgrowth of two relatively new academic fields. The first is technology and society. This field focuses on the impact of research and innovation on society, and related policy issues.[2] Many universities, including Berkeley, Cornell, MIT and Stanford offer degrees and/or programs of study in this and related fields. A great strength of technology and society studies is that it exists at the intersection of the natural and social sciences, engineering, and public policy.
The second field closely integrated with cybermethodology is Internet studies. This recently developed field has generated programs at several universities including Minnesota, Washington, Brandeis, and Georgetown. Internet studies involves the study of the fundamental workings of the Internet as well as learning about entities and issues such as Internet security, on-line communities and gaming, Internet culture, and intellectual property.[3]
Cybermethodology is the component of internet and technology studies that is specifically concerned with the use of innovative technology-based methods of analysis, new sources of data, and conceptualizations in order to gain a better understanding of human behavior. It is characterized by the use, as primary data sources, of emergent entities such as virtual worlds, blogs, texting, on-line gaming (mmorpgs), social networking sites, video sharing, wikis, search engines, and numerous other innovative tools and activities available on the web. Major components of cybermethodology include:
