Digital Ethnography and Cyberculture: An Anthropological Analysis of the Chess.com Platform

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to describe the characteristics of the cyber-communities that emerge on the Chess.com chess platform, through the application of digital ethnography. From a methodological point of view, this is a basic research study with a qualitative approach, at a descriptive level, using the digital ethnography method and applying the techniques of participant observation and document analysis. The results demonstrate that, within the "Team Peru" sports community, chess players develop a sense of belonging and particular forms of organization. In this digital space, affective bonds are generated between amateur and professional players, who share an identity-related interest: representing the country in competitive events within the platform. These social interactions not only strengthen group cohesion but also create a symbolic environment in which shared values, norms, and representations are constructed. The study concludes that online communities like Team Perú represent groups of individuals who, through technological mediation, construct social bonds, identities, and collective meanings within an online chess platform. Digital ethnography allowed a detailed and contextualized analysis of a sports online community, demonstrating that platforms like Chess.com are not only spaces for competition but also settings for socialization and the construction of collective identities.