Justice and social media
For more than a decade, the increasing popularity of online research has prompted a rethinking or reconsideration of such notions as consent, privacy and confidentiality. This re-examination has been so extensive that the ethics of online research has emerged as a distinct field of study. In this article, I discuss how an ethnographic study of digital practices should adopt a contextual approach to ensure research in this field is conducted in an ethical manner. Such an approach implies that publicly-accessible online data are not de facto public, so it is imperative to recognize and heed the expectations and requirements of internet users. I tested this hypothesis in my ethnographic research of the online practices of two Facebook groups whose members share legal information. Based on my analysis of their online activity, which combines aspects of both the law and communications, I argue that a contextual approach also encompasses an understanding of the ethical considerations that are inherent to the disciplinary context and goal of a research project.