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Article
Engagement for Good or Ill: Comparing Characteristics of Co-Creative and Co-Destructive Online Communities
Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology (2022)
  • Yimin Chen, Western University
  • Sarah E Cornwell
  • Nicole S Delellis, Western University
  • Dominique Kelly, Western University
  • Liu Yifan, Western University
  • Alex Mayhew, Western University
  • Victoria L. Rubin, Western University
Abstract
Highly engaged online communities can be characterized in terms of level of user activity and the valence of those activities. Positively-valenced communities engage in co-construction through supportive, uplifting interactions, while negatively-valenced communities engage in co-destruction through shared animosity towards outside individuals and groups. Both types of engagement offer prosocial benefits to community members, but this benefit is achieved through antisocial means in co-destructive communities. This study examines the features of one positively-valenced and one negatively-valenced subreddit community to determine if the same engagement factors drive participation in each, and whether these factors may be influenced to promote positive, rather than negative engagement.
Keywords
  • online communities,
  • prosocial and antisocial behavior,
  • reddit,
  • social media
Publication Date
October 14, 2022
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.677
Citation Information
Yimin Chen, Sarah E Cornwell, Nicole S Delellis, Dominique Kelly, et al.. "Engagement for Good or Ill: Comparing Characteristics of Co-Creative and Co-Destructive Online Communities" Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology (2022)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/victoriarubin/17/