Post by YetAnotherKlavierist on Nov 14, 2006 19:10:38 GMT
...and other Internet forum phenomena....
AP and I have been chatting about how Internet fora evolve over time. I've been doing a spot of research this evening with the assistance of Google (search for "I'm leaving" forum) and it appears the 'I'm Leaving' thread is a common phenomenon as part of a larger forum lifecycle. It appears to go something like this:
1) Forum starts for the purposes of discussing topic X, so people can find likeminded folk and discuss said topic
2) Members join, discussion of topic X ensues
3) Established members start to form friendships with people as a result of their common interest in X, creating a sense of community and encouraging discussion
4) New members join forum, contribute to discussion, form friendships - at this point, the forum is lively and active, with lots of on-topic discussion
5) As friendships deepen, a chat area or chat threads are set up and the proportion of on-topic discussion diminishes slightly. No-one notices, because everyone's happy chatting to their friends. It's human nature to be somewhat lazy and sit around chatting rather than engaging in intellectual discussion - otherwise people at work would do their jobs, rather than skiving off on the Internet .
6) Friendship groups form, again this is human nature. Proportion of on-topic discussion diminishes further, but again no-one notices. New members joining at this point may find the forum to be slightly inpenetrable as people aren't making as much of an effort to make new friends on the forum as they already have some; plus, more time is spent in their friendship group's chat thread, not in the on-topic threads the newbies contribute to.
7) Friendship group bonds deepen. When contentious issues are discussed, groups take sides to support their friends (even if it's not necessarily their viewpoint). This can lead to instability as people react more strongly to a mob than they would to an individual with whom they disagreed.
8) The "I'm Leaving" thread starts - after a disagreement or perceived 'not being welcome on the forums', someone starts a thread to announce their departure. Depending on the forum in question, the person leaving may or may not tell everyone what they really think of them.
9) The "This forum is going downhill" thread starts - often by an established member, who isn't majorly involved in the friendship groups, but has noticed the decline in on-topic discussion. They remember the golden age of the forum, back at step 4, and notice the chat threads with occasional on-topic discussion that have taken its place are a poor substitute
10) More people may leave as a result of the 'going downhill' and 'I'm leaving' threads - they empathise with the person leaving and can see the faults in the forum. Individuals leaving often state they are moving to another forum where the topic X is discussed, and others often add they are going there too (and yes, this is a general phenomenon).
11) Those forum members very much in the friendship groups will not see anything wrong with the forum, as they're enjoying discussion with their friends, and are happier with friends than having on-topic discussion. Again, people are lazy .
12) The forum stagnates - friends chat with friends, newbies find the forum and old topics using google, try and have on-topic discussion but have luke-warm responses, don't have anyone trying to be their friend, and leave.
13) Depending on who 'owns' the forum and what they think of it, the forum may eventually be closed - if the owner decides they are going to start an 'I'm leaving' thread, the forum closes.
That seems to be the cycle of things. Bear in mind this is all general - googling has found me many a site where all these things have happened.
My paper entitled 'The Politics of Internet Fora' will be published late next year .
AP and I have been chatting about how Internet fora evolve over time. I've been doing a spot of research this evening with the assistance of Google (search for "I'm leaving" forum) and it appears the 'I'm Leaving' thread is a common phenomenon as part of a larger forum lifecycle. It appears to go something like this:
1) Forum starts for the purposes of discussing topic X, so people can find likeminded folk and discuss said topic
2) Members join, discussion of topic X ensues
3) Established members start to form friendships with people as a result of their common interest in X, creating a sense of community and encouraging discussion
4) New members join forum, contribute to discussion, form friendships - at this point, the forum is lively and active, with lots of on-topic discussion
5) As friendships deepen, a chat area or chat threads are set up and the proportion of on-topic discussion diminishes slightly. No-one notices, because everyone's happy chatting to their friends. It's human nature to be somewhat lazy and sit around chatting rather than engaging in intellectual discussion - otherwise people at work would do their jobs, rather than skiving off on the Internet .
6) Friendship groups form, again this is human nature. Proportion of on-topic discussion diminishes further, but again no-one notices. New members joining at this point may find the forum to be slightly inpenetrable as people aren't making as much of an effort to make new friends on the forum as they already have some; plus, more time is spent in their friendship group's chat thread, not in the on-topic threads the newbies contribute to.
7) Friendship group bonds deepen. When contentious issues are discussed, groups take sides to support their friends (even if it's not necessarily their viewpoint). This can lead to instability as people react more strongly to a mob than they would to an individual with whom they disagreed.
8) The "I'm Leaving" thread starts - after a disagreement or perceived 'not being welcome on the forums', someone starts a thread to announce their departure. Depending on the forum in question, the person leaving may or may not tell everyone what they really think of them.
9) The "This forum is going downhill" thread starts - often by an established member, who isn't majorly involved in the friendship groups, but has noticed the decline in on-topic discussion. They remember the golden age of the forum, back at step 4, and notice the chat threads with occasional on-topic discussion that have taken its place are a poor substitute
10) More people may leave as a result of the 'going downhill' and 'I'm leaving' threads - they empathise with the person leaving and can see the faults in the forum. Individuals leaving often state they are moving to another forum where the topic X is discussed, and others often add they are going there too (and yes, this is a general phenomenon).
11) Those forum members very much in the friendship groups will not see anything wrong with the forum, as they're enjoying discussion with their friends, and are happier with friends than having on-topic discussion. Again, people are lazy .
12) The forum stagnates - friends chat with friends, newbies find the forum and old topics using google, try and have on-topic discussion but have luke-warm responses, don't have anyone trying to be their friend, and leave.
13) Depending on who 'owns' the forum and what they think of it, the forum may eventually be closed - if the owner decides they are going to start an 'I'm leaving' thread, the forum closes.
That seems to be the cycle of things. Bear in mind this is all general - googling has found me many a site where all these things have happened.
My paper entitled 'The Politics of Internet Fora' will be published late next year .