Trauma-Informed Digital Ethnography: Insights from An Ethnography on the Satanic Temple Sober Faction

As digital platforms shape everyday life, researchers increasingly use digital ethnography to study online communities. However, two key gaps remain: limited use of multi-sited designs and the absence of trauma-informed frameworks tailored to digital research with marginalized populations. This article addresses both through an eighteen-month study of Sober Faction, a non-theistic, harm reduction–oriented recovery group affiliated with The Satanic Temple. Based on data from Zoom, Discord, and Facebook, this article advances trauma-informed digital ethnography as both an ethical orientation and a methodological design. We show how trauma-informed principles shaped decisions around access, visibility, consent, participation, and analysis across platforms with distinct affordances and risks. Rather than treating trauma-informed practices as a procedural add-on, this article argues that it enhances methodological validity by fostering trust, participant agency, and interpretive care. The study offers practical guidance for researchers conducting digital ethnography in stigmatized or vulnerable online settings.