Opinion Formation in Wikipedia. Theory, Measurement and Findings
Opinion Formation in Wikipedia. Theory, Measurement and Findings
Author(s): Thomas RoessingSubject(s): Library and Information Science, Electronic information storage and retrieval, ICT Information and Communications Technologies
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: Public opinion; spiral of silence; Wikipedia; online community;
Summary/Abstract: The paper discusses several aspects of Wikipedia as an online community. It analyses the role of public opinion in discussions, disputes, and the solution of conflicts among the users of the online encyclopaedia. Noelle-Neumann’s (1974, 1984) Theory of public opinion as social control is used as a theoretical background to analyse three levels of public opinion in Wikipedia: The meta-level, the discussion-level, and the article-level. The use of the Mediawiki-software for content-analyses is discussed and illustrated by a qualitative analysis of a case study. Subject of the case study is a fierce dispute about design and content of user pages in the German language version of Wikipedia.
Journal: Masaryk University Journal of Law and Technology
- Issue Year: 2/2008
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 163-176
- Page Count: 14
- Language: English