Self-Governance Through Group Discussion in Wikipedia

Abstract

Virtual teams and other online groups can find it challenging to establish norms that allow them to effectively balance task and relational aspects of their discussions. Yet, in our reliance on organizational and team theories, small group scholars have overlooked the potential for learning from examples offered by online communities. Theories of deliberation in small groups offer scholars a way to assess such discussion-centered self-governance in online groups. The study operationalizes the conceptual definition of deliberative discussion offered by Gastil and Black (2008) to examine the small group discussions that undergird policy-making processes in a well-established online community, Wikipedia. Content analysis shows that these discussions demonstrated a relatively high level of problem analysis and providing of information, but results were mixed in the group's demonstration of respect, consideration, and mutual comprehension. Network visualizations 596 Small Group Research 42(5) reveal structural patterns that can be useful in examining equality, influence, and group member roles. The combination of measures has implications for future research in deliberative discussion and virtual teamwork.

Detecting Platform Effects in Online Discussions

“…In general, the increase of the depth of discussion threads (associated with higher argumentation) is induced by the long chains of reciprocal interaction between users, as shown in Figure . Since reciprocity, sometimes referred to as interactivity or mutuality, is one of the most common features when measuring online deliberation (Black et al, ; Dahlberg, ; Friess & Eilders, ; Trénel, ), future work will focus on whether reciprocity is also affected by these technical changes of the conversation view. In this context our results may prove useful to understand how design of online platforms—in terms of what social information they present—may shape our decision‐making environment (Margetts, ).…”

The People’s Encyclopedia Under the Gaze of the Sages: A Systematic Review of Scholarly Research on Wikipedia

“…Black et al (2011) examined how the "No Personal Attacks" policy has evolved as an example of a small group collaborating to develop policies that guide their work interactions. They found that the group process accorded with theory in small group research and deliberative discussion, which could serve as a model for other online communities and collaborative groups.…”

“…Other articles that discuss various aspects of Wikipedia policies and governance are discussed in other sections in this review (Cedergren 2003;Geiger & Ribes 2010;Gehl 2010;Famiglietti 2011;Hilbert 2009; L. W. Black et al 2011;den Besten & Dalle 2008;Muller-Seitz & Reger 2010;Pekárek & Pötzsch 2009;Reagle 2008;Chon 2012). An additional study, (Aniket , that examined Wikipedia governance is also discussed by Medelyan et al (2009).…”

A Systematic Review of Online Deliberation Research

“…Accordingly, deliberative democracy is one of the most influential theoretical concepts in the ongoing debate on the relationship between democracy and Internet technology (Chadwick, ). Research on online deliberation has experienced a sharp increase in recent years and an ever‐growing body of theoretical and empirical literature is available (e.g., Black, Welser, Cosley, & DeGroot, ; Davies & Gangadharan, 2009; Gerhards & Schäfer, 2010; Price & Cappella, 2002; Stromer‐Galley & Martinson 2009). However, the field of online deliberation is still “under construction” (Coleman & Moss, 2012), and many questions still remain open.…”