Online Discussion Threads Research Articles

What Does a Downvote Do? Performing Complementary and Competing Knowledge Practices on an Online Platform

Large-scale online platforms powered by user-generated content are extensively researched as venues of learning and knowledge production. In this ethnographically oriented study, we examine knowledge practices on a community question answering platform for computer programmers in relation to the platform mechanics of voting. Grounded in the practice theoretical perspective and drawing on the analysis of online discussion threads and platform-related online materials, our study unpacks the dominant practice of crowd-based curation, the complementing practice of distributed moderation, and the more marginal practice of providing feedback to content producers. The practices co-exist in tension and consonance, which are embedded in the materiality of the platform and are continuously enacted through user discursive boundary work, sustaining the mentioned practices as intelligible for other users, and outlining what counts as legitimately participation on the platform. The study contributes to existing research on the roles voting plays on online platforms, as well as offers implications for research on social and material organization of users' online practices. The study also discusses that it is the ambiguity around the mechanics of voting that allows practices to co-exist. While this ambiguity is often discussed by users as problematic, we suggest as potential implication of our study that it may be productive to design platforms for workable forms of ambiguity allowing knowledge practices to co-exist in tension and to provide space for user negotiations of these practices.

Online discussion threads as promotors of citizen democracy: Current opportunities and challenges for small- and medium-sized media organisations in Finland

Abstract This article focuses on user-generated discussion threads in journalistic online publication platforms. We investigate how journalists can apply deliberative norms to promote a democratically sustainable discussion within the threads. We also examine which opportunities and challenges journalists currently see with such threads in relation to central citizen democracy principles such as user participation and interactivity. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 18 Finnish news journalists and personnel in charge of moderation strategies. The findings show that deliberative norms are used to some degree in discussion-thread moderation, and that such norms are a key factor to promote democratically sustainable discussions in media organisations. The findings also show that threads can be useful tools for promoting citizen democracy due to their participatory features, but that several current challenges affect this, including uncivil user-generated content, limited representativeness among active users, and lacking resources to handle content in smaller media organisations. One main implication is that journalists see a risk of challenges with discussion threads outweighing benefits for democracy.

Students’ interest, engagement, and achievement in online high school science courses

Though documented extensively using self-report measures—especially in post-secondary course contexts—the relations among students’ interest, engagement, and academic achievement in high school science courses has been studied far less—especially when considering online versions of these courses. Self-reported interest collected at the beginning of the semester, process measures of emotional, behavioural, and cognitive engagement measured with textual analysis using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) measures of online discussion threads and time spent on the learning management system were collected throughout the semester, and final course grades were collected at the end of the semester. A sample of 622 high school students were recruited from five STEM courses to participate in this study. Results indicate that interest predicts behavioural engagement, behavioural and cognitive engagement predict final course grade, and interest predicts final course grade. Findings extend research by describing the role of engagement in online high school STEM courses.

Reacting to homophobia in a French online discussion: The fuzzy boundaries between heteronormativity and homophobia

This article analyzes how participants of an online discussion thread related to a YouTube video on homophobia expressed their opposition to homophobia. Both the video and the 403 posts in the discussion thread are in French. On the surface, the data are characterized by strong antagonism between the stances that support and those that are critical of LGBTQ persons. However, a closer look at the posts expressing a pro-LGBTQ stance reveals considerable variation among them: they range from an open deconstruction of homophobia to more ambivalent positions that draw on ideologies circulating within the heteronormative order and are naturalized in the everyday discourse of spontaneous online interactions. We analyze five categories of posts expressing different forms of pro-LGBTQ stances to highlight their fuzzy boundaries with homophobic stances. The analysis draws on argumentative discourse analysis, focusing on process types used to construct arguments and topoi, as well as deictic elements through which the authors of these posts express their distance vis-à-vis homophobia and LGBTQ persons.

Exploring The Impact of Discussion Interfaces on Diversified Interconnectivity in Online Learning Communities

Asynchronous online discussions are widely recognized as potent pedagogical practices for actively involving learners in the process of constructing knowledge and cultivating a thriving learning community. This study examined how the types of online discussion threads (i.e., student-based vs. topic-based) moderate diverse of social interconnection in discussions and how it changes over time. An upward trajectory in the diversification of interconnectivity was discerned. In spite of the shift from student-based to topic-based, students continue valuing the power of diversified interconnecting with their classmates. The significant drop, but transitory, from Week 3 to 4 can be explained by the switch to another discussion type. Both the student-based and topic-based threads were observed to facilitate comparable levels of diverse connectivity. However, they accentuated subtle attributes within the learning communities. Instead of deciding upon any asynchronous online discussion tools given by institution’s LMS, instructors should critically assess different discussion thread interfaces and integrate a relevant one to create and facilitate their ideal and effective, yet diverse learning community. Future research should explore diverse interconnectivity traits and extend the timeframe beyond three weeks to observe the enduring impacts on learning community development.

Transamorous Misogyny: Masculinity, Heterosexuality, and Cis Men’s Sexist Desires for Trans Women

Little sociological research has examined how cis people might be accepting or not of trans people on an intimate level. To begin to fill this gap, the author analyzes over 200 online discussion board posts and threads on Reddit by cis heterosexual men who discuss their romantic and sexual desires for trans women. The author coins the concept of transamorous misogyny to capture the paradoxical process of how cis heterosexual men’s desires for trans women is in and through their contempt of all women. Specifically, the author shows how the cis heterosexual men expand ideas of sexual identity as attraction toward gender expression. However, the men expand the definition of heterosexuality in ways that construct trans women as hyper-feminine, hyper-submissive, and as not real women. The men also discursively work to reassert their cis heterosexual masculinity through discussing how trans women are better than cis women. Ultimately, transamorous misogyny works to devalue all women and allows cis heterosexual men to desire trans women in ways that help the men invest in their own cis heterosexual masculinity.

PLAN B, a Gathering of Strangers (or) This Is Not Working by Goldendean

PLAN B, a Gathering of Strangers (or) This Is Not Working by Goldendean

Einstellungen zu COVID-19-Impfungen und deren Begründungsmuster: eine qualitative Inhaltsanalyse am Beispiel von Online-Diskussionsbeiträgen älterer Menschen

IntroductionVaccination attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccination and patterns of justification have been analyzed primarily through survey studies, while there is a lack of studies that provide deeper contextualization of individual responses. However, the latter are equally important to understand vaccination attitudes holistically. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative study is to reveal not only vaccination attitudes but also the deeper reasoning behind them, using the example of the specific group that is considered particularly vulnerable in the context of the pandemic: older people. MethodThe data basis comprises discussion contributions of an asynchronous online discussion thread of the platform “Seniorenportal”, where in 264 contributions 49 elderly people exchanged their views on both their vaccination attitudes and their experience of the pandemic situation in general. The analysis of the data was carried out using the qualitative method Ganzheitliche Bewältigung von Komplexität (GABEK®). ResultsWith regard to vaccination attitudes, it is possible to identify vaccination supporters (clear, positive attitude towards vaccination), vaccination procrastinators (vaccination not yet/only under special conditions) and vaccination skeptics (clear position against currently approved COVID-19 vaccines, but not necessarily against vaccination in general). The analysis of justifications reveals that the concept of trust can hardly be found explicitly. Only a few vaccination supporters explicitly communicate a lack of trust in, for example, pandemic/vaccination management. In addition, the reasons behind the rejection of collective responsibility and different ways of interpreting pandemic-related information are revealed. DiscussionThe results indicate that attitudes and beliefs associated with the willingness to get vaccinated are much less clear than the results of current survey studies would suggest. Both current survey items as well as measures that are supposed to increase the willingness to get vaccinated, such as the promotion of trust, education through information provision or appeals to the sense of collective responsibility sometimes appear to warrant discussion. ConclusionQualitative studies can usefully complement the results of survey studies on vaccination attitudes. This study indicates that vaccination attitudes are also an expression of (biographically determined) basic attitudes and should also be considered in light of the relationship between the individual and society. In this context, the study provides starting points to complement current surveys, gives indications that the willingness to get vaccinated may be more difficult to influence than current knowledge of vaccination attitudes suggests, and offers suggestions for further research.

“Facilitating wife” and “feckless manchild”: Working mothers’ talk about divisions of care on Mumsnet

This article considers a culturally marginalised yet consequential gendered discourse that positions women as “wife” alongside their role as mother in working women's talk about divisions of care on Britain's largest parenting site, Mumsnet. Unlike most previous research on Mumsnet that has focused on the construction and partial resistance of normative ideas of motherhood, this paper suggests that the increasingly politicised site is a space where a discourse of wifehood is drawn upon to account to some degree for experiences of domestic inequality. Using a critical discursive psychological approach to data from 14 online discussion threads posted on Mumsnet, the paper identifies two dominant, complementary constructions through which posters frame divisions of care. These are the position of the “facilitating wife”, enabling their male partners’ careers by taking on the bulk of domestic responsibility to the detriment of their own professional achievement and mental wellbeing; and the construction of partners as “feckless manchildren”, as an attempt to manage dissonances with their positioning as “wife” and related overburdening. I conclude that the relationships women form in the Mumsnet space allow them to articulate dissonant views and feelings about their co-existing domestic roles of wife and mother and associated divisions of care.

Everyday discourse as a space of citizenship: the linguistic construction of in-groups and out-groups in online discussion boards

ABSTRACT In this paper, we analyze online discussion threads related to national belonging in Finland, Denmark, and France. These discussions are all related to immigration and the definition of ‘legitimate’ citizens. Our approach is empirical: the goal is to show how in-groups and out-groups are construed linguistically and discursively in the data and how the interactants negotiate membership categories and express their opinions regarding them. The most important in-group in the datasets consists of the nationals born in the country, whereas the out-group par excellence is formed by Muslims. The data show how the boundaries of national communities are performatively constructed through the everyday discourse of online fora, which constitute an important arena of societal debate today. This discourse draws its force from the reiteration of stereotypical generalizations and the power attached to the written word in a communication environment enabling an efficient dissemination of ideological discourse.

Foundation of the Digital Global Economy

A medium to facilitate the exchange of value has been the sole necessity for the mere existence of currency. As the civilization moved from using metals, paper, and plastic to facilitate exchange, our requirements from a currency became refined. Some of those requirements were the prevention of counterfeiting and accountability. As the human civilization moves forward, the solution to some of the problems faced by us are discovered by humans. Cryptocurrency is a decentralized form of currency mined by computers by solving complex equations in exchange for a reward of the very same commodity. This article aims to study the major cryptocurrencies and the concept of blockchain, how they operate, how it will be affecting India, and what are the consequences of banning this form of currency. This research is carried out by evaluating white papers of Bitcoin and Ethereum (the two main cryptocurrencies of present time) along with research papers and news articles found with the help of search engines and online discussion threads.

Online discussion threads as conversation pools: predicting the growth of discussion threads on reddit

Online discussion threads as conversation pools: predicting the growth of discussion threads on reddit

Study on E-Cigarettes and Pregnancy (STEP) - Results of a Mixed Methods Study on Risk Perception of E-Cigarette Use During Pregnancy.

Introduction E-cigarette use during pregnancy is a risk factor for maternal and fetal health. Early studies on animals showed that in utero exposure to e-cigarettes can have negative health outcomes for the fetus. There has been only limited research into the risk perceptions of e-cigarette use during pregnancy. This study was conducted to comprehensively characterize the constructs of risk perceptions with regard to e-cigarette use during pregnancy using an I ntegrated H ealth B elief M odel (IHBM). Methods Our ST udy on E -cigarettes and P regnancy (STEP) used a mixed methods approach, with the study divided into an initial qualitative part and a quantitative part. A netnographic approach was used for the first part, which consisted of the analysis of 1552 posts from 25 German-language online discussion threads on e-cigarette use during pregnancy. Using these qualitative results, a quantitative questionnaire was developed to explore risk perception constructs about e-cigarette use during pregnancy. This questionnaire was subsequently administered to pregnant women (n = 575) in one hospital in Hamburg, Germany. Descriptive and bivariate analysis was used to examine differences in risk perception according to participantsʼ tobacco and e-cigarette user status before and during pregnancy. While the study design, methods and sample have been extensively described in our recently published study protocol in the January 2020 issue of Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde , this paper is devoted to a presentation of the results of our mixed methods study. Results Themes related to perceived threats identified in the qualitative study part were nicotine-related health risks and potential health risks of additional ingredients . Perceived benefits were possibility and facilitation of smoking cessation and a presumed potential to reduce harm . The subsequent quantitative part showed that nearly all participants (99.3%) perceived e-cigarettes which contained nicotine as constituting a threat to the health of the unborn child. The most commonly perceived barrier was health-related (96.6%), while the most commonly perceived benefit was a reduction in the amount of tobacco cigarettes consumed (31.8%). We found that particularly perceived benefits varied depending on the participantʼs tobacco and e-cigarette user status. Conclusion When considering future prevention strategies, the potential health risks and disputed effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a tool for smoking cessation need to be taken into account and critically discussed.

Characteristics of Initial Posts and Peer Engagement: Density Score Analyses for Social Presence in Online Discussions

A common activity in online courses that allows for student interaction is the asynchronous discussion; however, discussions do not inherently lead to meaningful engagement among students. This study explores how the moves that students make in their initial discussion posts influence the emotional engagement of their peers in response posts. 1500 asynchronous online discussion messages were collected from an undergraduate online course offered at a western state university. 608 online discussion threads were analyzed to determine how the characteristics of initial posts are associated with the engagement in peer responses. Six characteristic variables from initial posts were identified and analyzed. Density scores for social presence categories and indicators were calculated as the measure of the emotional engagement in the response posts. Results suggest that three characteristic variables in initial posts significantly influence the emotional engagement of peers in the response posts.

Creating family-friendly pub experiences: A composite data study

Abstract Pubs have traditionally been important social and community spaces, hosting multiple consumer segments. Successful pubs have broadened their appeal, for example by expanding their food provision and targeting family segments. However, little is known about the features and practices that make pubs appealing to families. Drawing on a ‘composite’ data set, consisting of 40 qualitative interviews and 387 responses to a directed online discussion thread, this paper examines what contributes to making pubs family-friendly. Data show how parental consumption intersects with parenting work, highlighting how physical and symbolic design features, tailored services, social interactions, and socio-material practices of the food offerings can shape consumption experiences positively and negatively. The paper thus contributes to practical knowledge by identifying how pubs can create family-friendly experiences. It also contributes to theoretical knowledge by conceptualising how ‘framing’ processes or effects, shaped by personal, situational and socio-cultural ‘imperatives’, influence consumer perceptions, behaviours and experiences.

Einstellungen zur Organspende in Deutschland – Qualitative Analysen zur Ergänzung quantitativer Evidenz

BackgroundTo this day, the general population's attitude towards post-mortem organ donation has primarily been analyzed using quantitative representative surveys. These studies presuppose the willingness of the interviewees to participate. Since this agreement can be positively correlated with the willingness to donate organs, a systematic bias of the samples in favor of people willing to donate cannot be excluded. Using innovative qualitative databases and methods, rarely observed positions and arguments can be systematically identified. In this way, existing quantitative empirical studies can be beneficially supplemented. MethodsThis qualitative-empirical study analyzes online discussion threads applying the GABEK® method (Software WinRelan®). Differentiated according to positive and negative attitudes towards organ donation, determinants of attitudes are extracted and condensed using network graphs. A similar procedure is used to work out assessments of alternative solutions to the existing scarcity problem in the German organ allocation system. ResultsDiscussants with a favorable attitude are mainly motivated by altruism and reciprocity. A disapproving attitude is particularly due to problems with the concept of brain death and distrust concerning the health and organ donation system. It can be demonstrated that negative attitudes are more often than not based on missing information and misinformation. With regard to alternative system solutions, monetary compensations are regarded positively, whereas the opt-out solution (“Widerspruchslösung”) and concepts based on reciprocity are discussed controversially. ConclusionThere is still a great need for information and trust-generating work in the German organ donation and allocation system. Qualitative analyses in addition to quantitative evidence are necessary in order to localize these needs and concretize their content.

Online intercultural dialogue amongst student teachers from seven countries: a study of IPC global discussions

This article shares qualitative analysis of online discussion threads between student teachers in seven countries. The student teachers engaged together online to share intercultural perspectives and experiences on a range of topics of relevance to education systems, policy, teacher education, and childhood. In 2017, participating countries were: Australia, Bulgaria, Germany, Japan, Spain, Sweden, and the USA. Through the process of discussing and documenting diverse cultural and educational practices ‐ for example the age children start school, the involvement of parents in education, uniforms, daily routines, inclusion, and technology ‐ student teachers reflected on values, beliefs, traditions and aspirations. Findings relate to intercultural communication and intercultural praxis. Thematic analysis of 675 posts identified a range of open and closed discourses, and three intercultural positions. The conclusion of the study is that online engagement provides a sustainable and accessible strategy to enrich interculturality in teacher education.

Affective (re)orientations in online discussions on the threat of violence posed by migrants

ABSTRACT Online discussions are rife with fear-evoking images and meaning making that highlight a perceived threat to the security of European nations and their inhabitants posed by migrants’ violence in the wake of increased immigration. This paper examines the role of emotions in shaping anti-immigration views as a response to the threat of violence attached to migrants in online conversations. Using a dataset of Finnish online discussion threads from 2015 to 2017 that were prompted by extensive media attention paid to various cases of violent crime in which migrants were suspects, we particularly analyse the affective dynamics of interpellation processes wherein discussants are invited to adopt anti-immigration orientations. This analysis demonstrates how emotions such as fear, hate, and love function together in complex ways to constitute and shift meanings constructed during these discussions. These processes afford the construction and adoption of affectively appealing identities that are based on the re-signification of anti-immigration orientations as morally and socially acceptable, such as ‘normal citizen’ and ‘caring parent’. The analysis thus provides insight into processes in which ‘ordinary’ citizens hear, and respond to the call for xenophobic positions, thereby illustrating how a sense of community and caring for a community is built within these affective processes.

Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Social Media Data to Assess Perceptions of Route of Administration for Antiretroviral Treatment among People Living with HIV.

BackgroundHIV is a condition that requires lifelong treatment. Treatment options currently consist of oral antiretroviral therapies (ART) taken once or twice daily. Long-acting injectable HIV treatments are currently in development to be administered monthly or every other month. Preferences for route of administration could influence treatment adherence, which could affect treatment outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine patient perceptions of oral and injectable routes of administration for ART.MethodsQualitative thematic analysis was conducted to examine 5122 online discussion threads by people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the POZ Community Forums from January 2013 to June 2018. Analysis focused on identifying perceptions of oral or injectable routes of administration for ART. Relevant threads were extracted and imported into the qualitative data analysis software package ATLAS.ti.8 so that text could be reviewed and coded.ResultsAnalyses identified 684 relevant discussion threads including 2626 coded quotations from online posts by 568 PLHIV. The oral route of administration was discussed more frequently than injectable (2516 quotations for oral; 110 injectable). Positive statements on the oral route of administration commonly mentioned the small number of pills (276 quotations), dose frequency (245), ease of scheduling (153), and ease of use (146). PLHIV also noted disadvantages of the oral route of administration including negative emotional impact (166), difficulty with medication access (106), scheduling (131), and treatment adherence (121). Among the smaller number of PLHIV discussing injectable ART, common positive comments focused on dose frequency (34), emotional benefits of not taking a daily pill (7), potential benefits for adherence (6), overall convenience (6), and benefits for traveling (6). Some comments from PLHIV perceived the frequency of injections negatively (10), and others had negative perceptions of needles (8) or appointments required to receive injections (7).ConclusionsQualitative analysis revealed that route of administration was frequently discussed among PLHIV on this online forum. While many expressed positive views about their daily oral medication regimen, others perceived inconveniences and challenges. Among PLHIV who were aware of a possible monthly injectable treatment, many viewed this new route of administration as a convenient alternative with potential to improve adherence.

STudy on E-Cigarettes and Pregnancy (STEP) - Study Protocol of a Mixed Methods Study on Risk Perception of E-Cigarette Use During Pregnancy and Sample Description.

Introduction During pregnancy, the motherʼs healthy lifestyle is crucial for the health of the fetus. Potential risk factors for maternal and child health should therefore be identified and reduced as early as possible. The consumption of e-cigarettes represents one of these potential risk factors. Exploring risk perceptions about e-cigarette use during pregnancy can provide early indications of possible user motives. Therefore, our mixed methods ST udy on E -cigarettes and P regnancy (STEP) aimed to comprehensively analyze risk perceptions about e-cigarette use during pregnancy based on an I ntegrated H ealth B elief M odel (IHBM). This paper describes the study design, methods, sample population and limitations of STEP. Methods Our sequential mixed methods study combined qualitative and quantitative approaches. In the qualitative section of the study which preceded the quantitative part of the study, we aimed to characterize risk perceptions about e-cigarette use during pregnancy. We used a netnographic research approach which analyzed discussion threads in online forums dealing with e-cigarette use during pregnancy. The analysis was based on an IHBM. Identified themes were incorporated in the questionnaire which was developed for the quantitative part of the study. The quantitative section aimed to quantify, among other things, perceived threats, barriers and benefits and to explore differences in risk perception according to sociodemographic characteristics and tobacco and e-cigarette usage. Results In the qualitative section, 1552 posts in 25 online discussion threads dealing, inter alia, with e-cigarette use during pregnancy were identified. The quantitative part looked at the responses in the questionnaires handed in by 575 pregnant women who attended a hospital in Hamburg (Germany) from April 2018 to January 2019 (response rate: 27.5%). Conclusion Data collection was successful for both the qualitative and quantitative parts of the study. When interpreting the results of STEP, different limitations should be taken into account. The results of STEP provide starting points for the development of tailored preventive measures for pregnant women.