Document Type

Article

Publication Date

October 2022

Journal

Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology

URL with Digital Object Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.677

Abstract

Highly engaged online communities can be characterized in terms of level of user activity and the valence of those activities. Positively-valenced communities engage in co-construction through supportive, uplifting interactions, while negatively-valenced communities engage in co-destruction through shared animosity towards outside individuals and groups. Both types of engagement offer prosocial benefits to community members, but this benefit is achieved through antisocial means in co-destructive communities. This study examines the features of one positively-valenced and one negatively-valenced subreddit community to determine if the same engagement factors drive participation in each, and whether these factors may be influenced to promote positive, rather than negative engagement.

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