scholarly journals Ethics in criminological research of online communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 8-37
Author(s):  
Ingrida Kruopštaitė ◽  
Maryja Šupa
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Community Research ◽  
Ethical Decisions ◽  
Situational Ethics ◽  
Accessible Information ◽  
Social Network Structure ◽  
Depth Analysis

The aim of this paper is to outline and critically analyse the ethical dilemmas faced by criminologists tasked with online community research. Online communities and online content serve as a valuable sources of criminological knowledge about online crime and deviance as well as formal and informal norm-making and means of social control. From discussion forum texts and blogs to multimedia posts in open and closed social networking groups, from visual and video materials on Instagram, Youtube, or Tiktok to organized crime group data exchanges in publicly inaccessible communication channels, there is great diversity and variety of the contents and forms of online communication enacted by online communities. Correspondingly, research projects are different – some focusing on the content as a linguistic object, others focusing on social relations, social network structure, and its ethnographic characteristics, while many fall in between. In addition, depending on the research goals and sensitivity of the research questions, researchers may opt for active interaction or passive (and sometimes covert) observation. Therefore there is no one-size-fits-all ethical solution for approaching online communities in criminology. Based on an in-depth analysis of methodological literature, the paper suggests that online community research is largely a matter of situational ethics, wherein researchers must make situation-aware ethical decisions about several key issues. In particular, they should aim to choose and provide arguments regarding: 1) expectations of publicity or privacy in publicly accessible information; 2) the need for informed consent or absence of such need; 3) ensuring balance between anonymity and authorship attribution; 4) securing collected data; and 5) correctly assessing risks to the researched individuals and communities, and the researchers themselves.

scholarly journals Talking to me? Creating networks from online community logs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
RW Helms ◽  
W Ai ◽  
Jocelyn Cranefield
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Visual Inspection ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Community Research ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Impact Study ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Selection Of

Online communities offer many potential sources of value to individuals and organisations. However, the effectiveness of online communities in delivering benefits such as knowledge sharing depends on the network of social relations within a community. Research in this area aims to understand and optimize such networks. Researchers in this area employ diverse network creation methods, with little focus on the selection process, the fit of the selected method, or its relative accuracy. In this study we evaluate and compare the performance of four network creation methods. First we review the literature to identify four network creation methods (algorithms) and their underlying assumptions. Using several data sets from an online community we test and compare the accuracy of each method against a baseline ('actual') network determined by content analysis. We use visual inspection, network correlation analysis and sensitivity analysis to highlight similarities and differences between the methods, and find some differences significant enough to impact study results. Based on our observations we argue for more careful selection of network creation methods. We propose two key guidelines for research into social networks that uses unstructured data from online communities. The study contributes to the rigour of methodological decisions underpinning research in this area.

scholarly journals Talking to me? Creating networks from online community logs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
RW Helms ◽  
W Ai ◽  
Jocelyn Cranefield
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Visual Inspection ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Community Research ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Impact Study ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Selection Of

Online communities offer many potential sources of value to individuals and organisations. However, the effectiveness of online communities in delivering benefits such as knowledge sharing depends on the network of social relations within a community. Research in this area aims to understand and optimize such networks. Researchers in this area employ diverse network creation methods, with little focus on the selection process, the fit of the selected method, or its relative accuracy. In this study we evaluate and compare the performance of four network creation methods. First we review the literature to identify four network creation methods (algorithms) and their underlying assumptions. Using several data sets from an online community we test and compare the accuracy of each method against a baseline ('actual') network determined by content analysis. We use visual inspection, network correlation analysis and sensitivity analysis to highlight similarities and differences between the methods, and find some differences significant enough to impact study results. Based on our observations we argue for more careful selection of network creation methods. We propose two key guidelines for research into social networks that uses unstructured data from online communities. The study contributes to the rigour of methodological decisions underpinning research in this area.

scholarly journals The bottom-up formation and maintenance of a Twitter community

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 612-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Ch'ng
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Community Research ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the formation, maintenance and disintegration of a fringe Twitter community in order to understand if offline community structure applies to online communities. Design/methodology/approach – The research adopted Big Data methodological approaches in tracking user-generated contents over a series of months and mapped online Twitter interactions as a multimodal, longitudinal “social information landscape”. Centrality measures were employed to gauge the importance of particular user nodes within the complete network and time-series analysis were used to track ego centralities in order to see if this particular online communities were maintained by specific egos. Findings – The case study shows that communities with distinct boundaries and memberships can form and exist within Twitter’s limited user content and sequential policies, which unlike other social media services, do not support formal groups, demonstrating the resilience of desperate online users when their ideology overcome social media limitations. Analysis in this paper using social networks approaches also reveals that communities are formed and maintained from the bottom-up. Research limitations/implications – The research data is based on a particular data set which occurred within a specific time and space. However, due to the rapid, polarising group behaviour, growth, disintegration and decline of the online community, the data set presents a “laboratory” case from which many other online community can be compared with. It is highly possible that the case can be generalised to a broader range of communities and from which online community theories can be proved/disproved. Practical implications – The paper showed that particular group of egos with high activities, if removed, could entirely break the cohesiveness of the community. Conversely, strengthening such egos will reinforce the community strength. The questions mooted within the paper and the methodology outlined can potentially be applied in a variety of social science research areas. The contribution to the understanding of a complex social and political arena, as outlined in the paper, is a key example of such an application within an increasingly strategic research area – and this will surely be applied and developed further by the computer science and security community. Originality/value – The majority of researches that cover these domains have not focused on communities that are multimodal and longitudinal. This is mainly due to the challenges associated with the collection and analysis of continuous data sets that have high volume and velocity. Such data sets are therefore unexploited with regards to cyber-community research.

scholarly journals A Design Theory for Digital Platforms Supporting Online Communities: A Multiple Case Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 364-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Spagnoletti ◽  
Andrea Resca ◽  
Gwanhoo Lee
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Digital Platform ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Community Information ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
Care Assistance

This research proposes and validates a design theory for digital platforms that support online communities (DPsOC). It addresses ways in which digital platforms can effectively support social interactions in online communities. Drawing upon prior literature on IS design theory, online communities, and platforms, we derive an initial set of propositions for designing effective DPsOC. Our overarching proposition is that three components of digital platform architecture (core, interface, and complements) should collectively support the mix of the three distinct types of social interaction structures of online community (information sharing, collaboration, and collective action). We validate the initial propositions and generate additional insights by conducting an in-depth analysis of an European digital platform for elderly care assistance. We further validate the propositions by analyzing three widely used digital platforms, including Twitter, Wikipedia, and Liquidfeedback, and we derive additional propositions and insights that can guide DPsOC design. We discuss the implications of this research for research and practice.

scholarly journals “Lock, Load, n’ Thank the Driver”: The Positive Influence of Prosocial Activity on Language in Online Social Groups

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 205630512091399
Author(s):  
Seamus Ryan ◽  
Dean McDonnell
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Human Communication ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Linguistic Markers

Social-psychological research aims to understand and improve human functioning in a wide variety of contexts. With research showing that trust, joy, and anticipation are among the most influential positive emotions in aspects of online communication, determining the environmental factors that may influence communication and interaction is of significant interest. This research aims to identify the ways prosocial actions influence language within an online social community. Using a longitudinal observational analysis of linguistic markers, an analysis was done on an online community, surrounding the game “Fortnite.” At different time intervals, the written dialogue was analyzed for psycholinguistic markers through LIWC to detect variance in tone within the community. Users were queried ( n = 9,037), filtered to meet the inclusion criteria (n = 7,221) and having their posts (n = 1,232,741) assigned to three cohorts, those of pre-prosocial, post-prosocial, and post-reciprocity, depending on the posting date. A statistically significant ( R2 = .572) increase in positive emotion linguistic markers was detected in the data set after the prosocial action was added. A change in motivation did not reduce the use of positive emotion linguistic markers, contrary to what was expected. This research observes how individuals within online communities treat each other and that interaction can be influenced to improve the participant’s experience and the quality of dialogue. This research addresses how game design and human–computer interaction influence human communication and behavior. It supports that small changes to the real world have ripple effects in online communities for the better.

scholarly journals Collective identity changes in far-right online communities: The role of offline intergroup conflict

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 1770-1786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria Bliuc ◽  
John Betts ◽  
Matteo Vergani ◽  
Muhammad Iqbal ◽  
Kevin Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Intergroup Conflict ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Collective Beliefs ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Identity Changes

Despite the increasing citizen engagement with socio-political online communities, little is known about how such communities are affected by significant offline events. Thus, we investigate here the ways in which the collective identity of a far-right online community is affected by offline intergroup conflict. We examine over 14 years of online communication between members of Stormfront Downunder, the Australian sub-forum of the global white supremacist community Stormfront.org . We analyse members’ language use and discourse before and after significant intergroup conflict in 2015, culminating in local racist riots in Sydney, Australia. We found that the riots were associated with significant changes in the collective beliefs of the community (as captured by members’ most salient concerns and group norms), emotions and consensus within the community. Overall, the effects of the local riots were manifest in a reinvigorated sense of purpose for the far-right community with a stronger anti-Muslim agenda.

scholarly journals Rumlige dimensioner i det sociale cyberspace

2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-25
Author(s):  
Stine Gotved
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Spatial Dimension ◽  
Spatial Dimensions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Spatial Construction ◽  
Shared Location

Stine Gotved: Spatial dimensions in social cyberspace The temporal and spatial dimensions of online communication establish the basic conditions for social life within cyberspace communities. Looking at the protocol-based constructions – whether they are communicating in real time or in asynchronous mode and whether they hold a shared location – it is clear that spatial construction matters for the sense of community. Parallel to offline life, the spatial dimensions in online communities are important for how the individual navigates, relates, and communicates. This article presents a typology of online space, in which three different kinds of spatial dimensions are defined. These three spatial dimensions can be found in most (if not all) online communities in varying degrees, and analysis of the patterns of spatial dimension within an online community provides useful information about the basic terms of social life within that community. The typology is discussed in light of Henri Lefebvre's work on spatiality and social space, in order to uncover the implicit inspirations as well as the limitations of his approach by the inclusion of offline spatial sociology. The typology presented here serves as an analytical tool to separate the different spatial dimensions of cyberspace, and hopefully holds the key to understanding many of the differences within online social life.

scholarly journals Collective Identity Changes in Far-right Online Communities: The Role of Offline Intergroup Conflict

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria Bliuc ◽  
John Betts ◽  
Matteo Vergani ◽  
muhammad iqbal ◽  
Kevin Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Intergroup Conflict ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Identity Changes

The role of online communities in shaping behaviours ‘in real life’ (IRL) is well-established, however, less is known about how such communities are affected by offline events. Thus, we investigate here the ways in which the collective identity of a far-right online community is affected by offline intergroup conflict. That is, we examine over 14 years of online communication between members of a national division of the global white supremacist community Stormfront.org. We analyse members’ language use and discourse before and after significant intergroup conflict in 2015, that is, local racist riots in Sydney, Australia. We found that the riots were associated with significant changes in the collective beliefs of the community (as captured by members’ most salient concerns and group norms), emotions and consensus within the community. Overall, the effects of the local riots were manifest in a reinvigorated sense of purpose for the far-right community with a stronger anti-Muslim agenda.

Online Communities and Social Network Structure

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanhao Wei ◽  
Wensi Zhang ◽  
Sha Yang ◽  
Xi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Social Network Structure

scholarly journals On Frogs, Monkeys, and Execution Memes: Exploring the Humor-Hate Nexus at the Intersection of Neo-Nazi and Alt-Right Movements in Sweden

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-165
Author(s):  
Tina Askanius
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Online Media ◽  
Extreme Right ◽  
Visual Content ◽  
Visual Aesthetics ◽  
Resistance Movement ◽  
Media Practices

This article is based on a case study of the online media practices of the militant neo-Nazi organization the Nordic Resistance Movement, currently the biggest and most active extreme-right actor in Scandinavia. I trace a recent turn to humor, irony, and ambiguity in their online communication and the increasing adaptation of stylistic strategies and visual aesthetics of the Alt-Right inspired by online communities such as 4chan, 8chan, Reddit, and Imgur. Drawing on a visual content analysis of memes ( N = 634) created and circulated by the organization, the analysis explores the place of humor, irony, and ambiguity across these cultural expressions of neo-Nazism and how ideas, symbols, and layers of meaning travel back and forth between neo-Nazi and Alt-right groups within Sweden today.

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