What counts as contribution? Micro-practices of enrolment and exclusion in a financial problems support group

Abstract

This paper explores the micro-practices of participants in an online community and the relationship between these practices and different metrics of contribution to the community. It compares contribution metrics derived from two different measurement technologies, one based on a conventional, individualistic algorithm and one on whole-part relationships. We combine an Actor-Network theoretical perspective with empirical research that employs both social network analysis techniques and detailed, qualitative analysis of discussion forum activities and exchanges between participants. Together, these approaches allow for a detailed tracing of the discussion forum network. We find that the two different technologies of measurement enact different versions of contribution (and hence reputation). Because of this, they identify different actors as influential in the discussion forum actor-network (although there is some overlap). However, neither effectively distinguishes between actors that tend to enrol others into or exclude them from the actor-network; and thus neither reliably identifies those whose actions align with the actor-network’s aims.