Abstract
Facebook groups are one of the most popular ways to communicate and exchange information on the Internet, as part of e-democracy. One of the problems that online groups encounter is the known fact about the majority of the groups’ members being lurkers: they read its content but do not directly contribute. This may result in problems that face online communities such as a low posting rate, lack of valuable content, and the undemocratic atmosphere in the group. Since we believe there is a great importance for a variety of voices sharing ideas from democratic points of view, research about engagement in these groups is essential. Receiving permissions from groups’ admins to become part of the Facebook groups, we could study them from within. Interactions in closed Facebook groups were coded over a two-month period. An online survey was answered by 274 group members, containing four sections: demographic, importance, offline activity, and personality questionnaires. In addition, the engagement in the groups was coded for each member. The results show positive relationships between engagement, group importance, and offline activity. Additionally, women and stable older participants tended to engage more in the group discussions. The findings give groups’ managers and members tools to enhance more quality discussions and engagement in Facebook groups, enabling more voices to be heard. Factors that were found as enhancing higher quality engagement may be useful for other groups as well and sustain the online community as a dynamic social group, where all members have equal rights to participate.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2019 Special Focus: The Future of Democracy in the Digital Age
KEYWORDS
Closed Facebook Groups; Online Groups; Lurkers; Engagement; Personality
