scholarly journals VALIDIZATION OF THE EMPIRICAL MODEL OF THE DYNAMICS OF INTEGRATION OF INTERNET COMMUNITIES

Author(s):  
A.M. Ponomarev

The article presents the results of a validating study carried out within the framework of the research under the grant "Building predictive models of the dynamics of the development of mobilization-type Internet communities". The aim of the study is to test the empirical model of integration of the Internet community in terms of the validity of the content and the validity of the criteria. The subject of the study is the validity of the criteria and integration factors identified in this model. The research methods are a survey of internal experts and a comparative analysis of assessments of the criteria and factors of integration of the specified model by external and internal experts. The results obtained allow us to conclude that it is correct to identify the criteria and factors for integrating the Internet community at the first stages of the research project. Differences in the assessment by two types of experts of the significance of some criteria and factors of integration of Internet communities receive the fixation of two observation positions - external and internal - as two types of explanation, namely, an understanding and descriptive explanation, respectively. The conducted research not only allows to introduce new criteria and factors of integration into the empirical model of integration of the Internet community, but also to draw an important theoretical conclusion. Online communities in their development manifest both the properties of real social groups and the properties of networks. These two methodological attitudes can be equally successfully applied in the analysis of online communities of the mobilization type. In the first case, analyzing the behavior of the online community as a social group, the dynamics of its mobilization function is mostly recorded. In the second case, analyzing the behavior of a community as a network, the dynamics of its volume and the dynamics of information potential are described to a greater extent.

Author(s):  
Patrick Waterson

The subject of how to encourage people to share their knowledge has long been a theme within the domain of knowledge management. Early studies showed that company employees, for example, are often reluctant to share their knowledge (e.g., Ciborra & Patriota, 1998). A number of possible reasons exist for why this takes place, including: lack of personal incentives to share expertise; an organizational culture that does not reward or encourage sharing; and lack of trust that shared knowledge will be put to good use (e.g., fear of exploitation). Research identifying these types of barriers to effective knowledge management is well established (e.g., Brown & Duguid, 2000); however, within the context of online communities it is more recent. The term “online community” tends to be applied in a general sense to refer to large-scale groups that regularly exchange information through mechanisms such as e-mail, weblogs, discussion lists and Wikis. These types of communities can take a variety of forms, some of which mix face-to-face contact with computer-mediated interaction (e.g., some types of “communities of practice,” CoPs), while others are more likely to be wholly online and involve people who have never met (e.g., “networks of


First Monday ◽  
1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward J. Valauskas

Much of the legal effort regarding the Internet and cyberspace occurs with little regard for the communities that will be most affected by new regulations and treaties. The Internet communities have evolved, over time, to create their own processes for self-regulation and tolerance. Legislative experiments that fail to take into account the nature of the Internet communities and the Internet itself are fundamentally counter-productive.


Author(s):  
R. V. Bolgov

This paper attempts to answer the question of whether the Internet community and the individual users of social networks are actors in world politics. They are gaining political influence, and Web 2.0 technologies are increasingly political. We analyze projects integrating social web services to interact with government information systems by citizens, NGOs and business are analyzed. We identify basic advantages and limitations of using social Internet services in politics. We examine experience of their use in government agencies in several countries. We analyze official documents governing the use of social networks in the interaction of authorities with the citizens and business


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Elena Graziani ◽  
Fausto Petrini

This article reviews empirical studies from 2008 to 2017 on the effects of participating in online communities. The review uses three databases: PubMed, Scopus and ScienceDirect. The criteria are: (1) online community aimed to provide support by and for people with a common problem; (2) the content of the sessions was determined by users; (3) members met via the Internet; (4) online community was available 24/7; (5) online community access was free and open to everyone with an Internet connection. Of the articles, 13 of 105 met the inclusion criteria. Seven studies reported positive changes: informational and emotional support, increased sense of belonging, less isolation, better medical understanding. Six articles also considered risks: the rise of the level of stress because of successes or failures of other users, the addiction to the forum and the consequent isolation from real relationships.


2022 ◽  
pp. 37-51
Author(s):  
Elena Graziani ◽  
Fausto Petrini

This article reviews empirical studies from 2008 to 2017 on the effects of participating in online communities. The review uses three databases: PubMed, Scopus and ScienceDirect. The criteria are: (1) online community aimed to provide support by and for people with a common problem; (2) the content of the sessions was determined by users; (3) members met via the Internet; (4) online community was available 24/7; (5) online community access was free and open to everyone with an Internet connection. Of the articles, 13 of 105 met the inclusion criteria. Seven studies reported positive changes: informational and emotional support, increased sense of belonging, less isolation, better medical understanding. Six articles also considered risks: the rise of the level of stress because of successes or failures of other users, the addiction to the forum and the consequent isolation from real relationships.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Bishop

Internet trolling has become a popularly used term to describe the posting of any content on the Internet which is provocative or offensive. This is different from the original meaning online in the 1990s, which referred to the posting of provocative messages for humourous effect. Those systems operators (sysops) who run online communities are finding they are being targeted because of abuse posted on their platforms. Political discussion groups are some of the most prone to trolling, whether consensual or unwanted. Many such websites ara open for anyone to join, meaning when some members post messages they know are offensive but legal, others might find grossly offensive, meaning these messages could be illegal. This paper develops a questionnaire called the This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things Scale (TIWWCHNT-20), which aims to help sysops better plan the development of online communities to take account of different users' capacity to be offended, and for users to self-assess whether they will be suited to an online community. The scale is discussed in relation to different Internet posting techniques where different users will act differently.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
CO McRae ◽  
Jean-Gregoire Bernard ◽  
Jocelyn Cranefield

© 2016 University of Wollongong, Faculty of Business. All rights reserved. Research into organised online protest typically focuses on how digital activism empowers social movements. But what if an online community is rebelling against its platform owners? This study seeks to identify the trajectory of internally focused revolutionary activity in self-regulated online communities. Based on an analysis of three cases (Reddit, 2015; Mozilla, 2014, and Skyrim, 2015) it identifies six stages of revolution: incident, reaction, mobilization, action, negotiation, and a return to ‘normality’ with a new power equilibrium. For each stage, key events, relations between the community and platform managers, and the ways in which power is enacted through online means, are identified. This preliminary model for online community revolution offers potential for further work that has diagnostic, predictive and ameliorative value. Relations with online communities are of significant value in an era in which many platform-related business models are reliant on voluntary contributions of self-regulating online communities.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
CO McRae ◽  
Jean-Gregoire Bernard ◽  
Jocelyn Cranefield

© 2016 University of Wollongong, Faculty of Business. All rights reserved. Research into organised online protest typically focuses on how digital activism empowers social movements. But what if an online community is rebelling against its platform owners? This study seeks to identify the trajectory of internally focused revolutionary activity in self-regulated online communities. Based on an analysis of three cases (Reddit, 2015; Mozilla, 2014, and Skyrim, 2015) it identifies six stages of revolution: incident, reaction, mobilization, action, negotiation, and a return to ‘normality’ with a new power equilibrium. For each stage, key events, relations between the community and platform managers, and the ways in which power is enacted through online means, are identified. This preliminary model for online community revolution offers potential for further work that has diagnostic, predictive and ameliorative value. Relations with online communities are of significant value in an era in which many platform-related business models are reliant on voluntary contributions of self-regulating online communities.


Author(s):  
Jonathan Bishop

Internet trolling describe the posting of any content on the Internet which is provocative or offensive, which is different from the original meaning online in the 1990s, referring to the posting of messages for humourous effect. Those systems operators (sysops) who run online communities are being targeted because of abuse posted on their platforms. Political discussion groups are some of the most prone to trolling, whether consensual or unwanted. Many such websites ara open for anyone to join, meaning when some members post messages they know are offensive but legal, others might find grossly offensive, meaning these messages could be illegal. This paper develops a questionnaire called the This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things Scale (TIWWCHNT-20), which aims to help sysops better plan the development of online communities to take account of different users' capacity to be offended, and for users to self-assess whether they will be suited to an online community. The scale is discussed in relation to different Internet posting techniques where different users will act differently.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 959-988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe G Massa

Online communities have displaced or become complements to organizations such as churches, labor unions and political groups which have traditionally been at the center of collective action. Yet, despite their growing influence and support of faster, cheaper and more flexible organizing, few empirical studies address how online communities are built and become enduring agents of social change. Using Internet-based ethnographic methods, this inductive field study examines how an online community called Anonymous transitioned from being a small gathering of contributors focused on recreation to becoming a community of trolls, activists and hackers incubating myriad projects. Findings reveal that the interplay of digital technology and a culture of transgression supported experimentation that culminated with the adoption of a resilient organizing platform that enabled several community factions to coexist in continuous engagement. This paper infuses community building research with an important emphasis on the role of the techno-cultural, highlighting how online formation and maintenance processes are shaped and shape mutually contingent technologies and cultures.


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