Wikimedia Research/Showcase/Archive/2020/11
November 2020
[edit]- Theme
- Interpersonal communication between editors
November 18, 2020 Video: YouTube
- Talk before you type - Interpersonal communication on Wikipedia
- By Dr Anna Rader, Research Consultant
- Formally, the work of Wikipediaâs community of volunteers is asynchronous and anarchic: around the world, editors labor individually and in disorganized ways on the collective project. Yet this work is also underscored by informal and vibrant interpersonal communication: in the lively exchanges of talk pages and the labor-sharing of editorial networks, anonymous strangers communicate their intentions and coordinate their efforts to maintain the worldâs largest online encyclopaedia. This working paper offers an overview of academic research into editorsâ communication networks and patterns, with a particular focus on the role of talk pages. It considers four communication dynamics of editor interaction: cooperation, deliberation, conflict and coordination; and reviews key recommendations for enhancing peer-to-peer communication within the Wikipedia community.
- slides on figshare
- By Dr Anna Rader, Research Consultant
- All Talk - How Increasing Interpersonal Communication on Wikis May Not Enhance Productivity
- By Sneha Narayan, Assistant Professor, Carlton College
- What role does interpersonal communication play in sustaining production in online collaborative communities? This paper sheds light on that question by examining the impact of a communication feature called "message walls" that allows for faster and more intuitive interpersonal communication in a population of wikis on Wikia. Using panel data from a sample of 275 wiki communities that migrated to message walls and a method inspired by regression discontinuity designs, we analyze these transitions and estimate the impact of the system's introduction. Although the adoption of message walls was associated with increased communication among all editors and newcomers, it had little effect on productivity, and was further associated with a decrease in article contributions from new editors. Our results imply that design changes that make communication easier in a social computing system may not always translate to increased participation along other dimensions.
- By Sneha Narayan, Assistant Professor, Carlton College