The 90-9-1 Rule for Participation Inequality in Social Media and Online Communities

 

"Summary: In most online communities, 90% of users are lurkers who never contribute, 9% of users contribute a little, and 1% of users account for almost all the action. By Jakob Nielsen on October 8, 2006"

 

Another interesting comment:

 

"Signal-to-noise ratio. Discussion groups drown in flames and low-quality postings, making it hard to identify the gems. Many users stop reading comments because they don't have time to wade through the swamp of postings from people with little to say."
 

This speaks to the need for moderation which would reduce the Signal-to-noise ratio, but increase the perception bias and furthure reduce participation.

 

While this is old data it holds true based on my experience.

While I can understand the desire to have more participation on the forums, sometimes, it is what is and we have to roll with the fact that it might appeal to a smaller audience. 

 

Even in social settings, there's always a few people who keep conversations going and others who prefer to be wallflowers (lurkers). 😎

I repeat what I said elsewhere

 

I don't think it is voyeurism, I think it is the inevitable result of the structure of communication online coming to bear. 

I run groups elsewhere as well and it is clear to me, most spaces online breed non communication. 

 

Search engines - are solitary, they are not places of collective action, people don't search together, and search engine use is high online

 

Online retail- another solitary, buying a product is usually a solitary event

Now they have product reviews where people can comment, but this is the first example of the internet's problem. Product reviews are usually filled with negatives, and the replies to product reviews are worse. Some will say , you find functional reviews but they are rare. Most product reviews are rants one way or another

 

Social media: video<youtube/tiktok>; text<twitter>;multimedia <facbook/tumblr> , all did communication a disservice online, because the usa populace, the most saturated online is naturally negative. And thus most communication online, stewarded by the usa populace, is negative. 

 

Email; should be the most functional as you don't have to give your email to everyone, but when email had a larger role, the biggest providers didn't structure it right, allowing email to become like paper mail, a den for commercial mail. So people don't use email as much as they should. even though many writers or groups still use email heavily. 

 

All together, this creates an online environment where most today are against communication, they rather just click like or dislike buttons than actually communicate because who wants to see the reply from personyoudontknow talk about how your an idiot or you don't know this or some negativity.

 

IN AMENDMENT

If someone ask me what place online I enjoy the most I probably say deviantart, but why? most of the people I am connected to on deviantart are artist. regardless of the medium or techniques used, they are artist, they submit art. Deviantart has the only stream I enjoy going to cause I will see creativity. The problem with most places online is, to be a member, you don't need to be a creator and thus most people don't create. as I have said with AALBC , this is a literary book club and yet, how many of us share book reviews, how many of us share work we have created. And I comprehend the role of the forum in aalbc, and I am not suggesting I am not guilty of the lack of creativity positing I am attributing to others, but it has to be better. Most places online are complaint boards, so the word voyeur is used for those not interested in getting in the complaint multilogs but I argue, why would they? Promote being creative and people will engage more. 

22 minutes ago, richardmurray said:

as I have said with AALBC , this is a literary book club and yet, how many of us share book reviews, how many of us share work we have created. And I comprehend the role of the forum in aalbc...

I'm neither a writer nor a book reviewer. I was attracted specifically to the Culture, Race and Economy discussion forum here. That's where I've plopped into a chair. 😁😎

haha @ProfDfair enough, but I wonder, what do you like to do offline that is creative? 

6 minutes ago, richardmurray said:

haha @ProfDfair enough, but I wonder, what do you like to do offline that is creative? 

I've mentioned a few times here that I'm also a musician.😎

@ProfD I haven't paid attention or missed a number of said times.  what instrument do you use? 

54 minutes ago, richardmurray said:

@ProfD I haven't paid attention or missed a number of said times.  what instrument do you use? 

I play piano/keyboards. 😎

@ProfD have you ever performed musical work in the public domain, like old negro spirituals?

I occasionally get a dialogue going if I pose a question. Or post a link. It seems if the post requires an additional step there tends to be more interaction

8 hours ago, richardmurray said:

@ProfD have you ever performed musical work in the public domain, like old negro spirituals?

Most public domain music I play is Jazz and R&B.  Every now and then, I'll do a drive-by and play Gospel (spiritual, traditional, contemporary).😎

@ProfD why don't you share your music on aalbc?

10 minutes ago, richardmurray said:

@ProfD why don't you share your music on aalbc?

I'm not a recording artist/musician.  I mostly sit down and play for my personal enjoyment.  Music is my opiate. 😎

So @ProfD  before recording artist, instrumentalist would play music to share the joy of playing music

I’ve owned a keyboard for all of my adult life, with the hopes of learning to play. It has not happened yet … lack of discipline i suppose. I envy people who can play 🙂

 

@Troy well, why not find the simplest song and try to play it, yoyo ma said something I heard that really made me realize how so many people blockade themselves from artistic expression. as I said with deviantart, many people on deviantart submit drawings that many will say are low quality or immature or something akin to not appropriate for submission and I love that. if all in the arts just started to submit it will improve the culture of artistic expression. 

With all of the stories and interesting things going on out there, I just don't understand how so many people could simply sit there and watch and have nothing to say or contribute.

Even if they'd just express their agreement or disagreement.
But to sit there like a pile of rocks and stare at the screen....wtf????

 

 

 

Must be all of that fake and cess weed they're smoking that has their brains numb.
 

Some people prefer to watch 👀 @Pioneer1

On 12/29/2022 at 7:28 PM, Troy said:

Some people prefer to watch 👀 @Pioneer1

True, but few people.....a minority....are THAT disciplined that they can hear different types of strong opinions and not voice their approval or opposition.
That takes a lot of discipline that the average fake-weed smoking American don't have today....lol