Methodological documentation of a virtual focus group about hackers and pirates

Abstract

From a research-experiment on social representations about hackers and cyber pirates, we present in this article a methodological discussion of the relevance and potentialities of the virtual research, dealing specifically with the technique of the virtual focal group. Our goal is to raise interest in virtual research methodologies, a field that offers many viable possibilities and further enriches the diversity of qualitative research approaches. We also included a brief interpretation of the empirical research, problematising whether legal norms (in force or under discussion) on cyberspace behaviours (focusing on the rights for information access and sharing) are justified as illicit or not by frequent Internet users.