Start Date
11-12-2016 12:00 AM
Description
This study investigates how social behaviors and structural factors influence democratic selection of leaders in online communities. We draw on psychological and political theories of voting behavior to develop an integrated framework. We study this framework in the Wikipedia Request for Adminship promotion—a process by which any registered member of Wikipedia can contest for elections. Using social network and semantic analysis of the deliberation process, we identify whether successful leaders occupy unique structural positions and engage in strategic social behaviors compared to unsuccessful candidates. We find that the most influential determinant of democratic online leadership is structural capital in the community’s core activity, but being socially connected to individual community members and within the broader community overall are also important. Candidates who are low on structural capital can mitigate their unfavorable position by cultivating high social connectedness. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.
Recommended Citation
Oppong-Tawiah, Divinus; Bassellier, Genevieve; and Ramaprasad, Jui, "Social Connectedness and Leadership in Online Communities" (2016). ICIS 2016 Proceedings. 18.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2016/SocialMedia/Presentations/18
Social Connectedness and Leadership in Online Communities
This study investigates how social behaviors and structural factors influence democratic selection of leaders in online communities. We draw on psychological and political theories of voting behavior to develop an integrated framework. We study this framework in the Wikipedia Request for Adminship promotion—a process by which any registered member of Wikipedia can contest for elections. Using social network and semantic analysis of the deliberation process, we identify whether successful leaders occupy unique structural positions and engage in strategic social behaviors compared to unsuccessful candidates. We find that the most influential determinant of democratic online leadership is structural capital in the community’s core activity, but being socially connected to individual community members and within the broader community overall are also important. Candidates who are low on structural capital can mitigate their unfavorable position by cultivating high social connectedness. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.