Message: 3 From: "Ben Davidson" <bendavidson@totalise.co.uk> To: <air-l@aoir.org> Subject: Re: [Air-l] feedback, overload, and equilibrium in online nets Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 18:02:09 +0100 Reply-To: air-l@aoir.org
Ronald,
Is there some rule of thumb that emerged from your work regarding basement and ceiling levels?
I didn't parameterize the basement and ceiling levels, but did parameterize the inflows, outflows, within group flows, and a four-fold typology derived from that: isolates, receivers, transmitters, and carriers. Isolate groups received and sent less than average (determined by the parameters of a log-linear model requiring reciprocity between groups), receives received more but sent less, transmitters sent more but received less, and carriers sent and received more than average. It turned out that in order to sustain a "carrier" mode, you have to continue sending, even early on when you don't get reciprocal messages. Only if you start out a transmitter, of the other three categories, do you have any chance of becoming a carrier. Essentially, I found that, as with material settings, the system is entropic: you have to contribute, on the hopes you will get sufficient returns, if you want to become a central actor (carrier). Remaining a receiver quickly leads to becoming an isolate. In the information environment, you really need to be a "pay it forward", or "collective benefit" kind of participant to maintain a central role. There are other articles about online critical mass, and collective benefits, such as Markus, and Rafaeli and LaRose (who show what factors influence the longevity of bulletin boards, which require altruistic contributions but can suffer from tragedy of the commons), whose references I can provide. I can send you a print version of the article if you (or anyone else) wants.