Cutting through the exaggerated and fanciful beliefs about the new possibilities of `net life', Hine produces a distinctive understanding of the significance of the Internet and addresses such questions as: what challenges do the new technologies of communication pose for research methods? Does the Internet force us to rethink traditional categories of `culture' and `society'?

In this compelling and thoughtful book, Hine shows that the Internet is both a site for cultural formations and a cultural artifact which is shaped by people's understandings and expectations. The Internet requires a new form of ethnography. The author considers the shape of this new ethnography and guides readers through its application in multiple settings.