Going beyond the code - The production of hypermedia ethnography

New developments in multimedia and hypermedia technology have raised import ant questions for the conduct and dissemination of sociological research. A ttention has traditionally focused on uses of new media for teaching, but t heir application to research is now also becoming clearer. There has been p articular interest-al though little practical work so far-on how ethnograph ers might use hypermedia in planning, design, analysis, and presentation of ethnographic work. This article offers findings from the authors' current ESRC project, which examines the appropriateness of hypermedia for the prod uction of ethnography. The theoretical and methodological implications for sociological knowledge of this new technology are discussed. The authors al so address arguments about the potential for transforming the production of sociological knowledge through granting equal weight to the audio-visual p lane of meaning as that given to the verbal and situate their discussion wi thin debates over new forms of reading and authoring offered to sociology t hrough electronic media.