Knowledge-Sharing Discourse Types Used by Key Actors in Online Affinity Spaces

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 24
  In Roundtable Session: Online Communities, Connections, and Support

Abstract

The growth of online social network sites and their conceptualization as afffinity spaces makes them well suited for exploring how individuals share knowledge and practice around specific interests or affinities. In this study, we extend what is known about highly active/key actors in online affinity spaces, especially ways in which they sustain and contribute to knowledge sharing. We used a combination of discourse analyses, social network analyses, association rule mining, and sentiment analysis on 514 discussion posts gathered from an online affinity space on disease management. Our results indicate that key actors’ discourse in the network serves to elaborate on and explain ideas and concepts, and that the quality and intent of discourse varies significantly between key and non-key actors.

Authors

• Priya Sharma, The Pennsylvania State University

• Qiyuan Li, The Pennsylvania State University

• Susan M. Land, The Pennsylvania State University