Communication Processes in Participatory Websites

Abstract

Research on participatory websites has been minimally theoretical and lacks a comprehensive framework that identifies common elements and their functions across a variety of Web 2.0 platforms. This article suggests the definitions of 4 common message types in participatory websites-proprietor content, user-generated content, deliberate aggregate user representations, and incidental aggregate user representations-and offers research exemplars that illustrate how they may function in transforming online social interaction and influence. It introduces the 6 empirical studies in this Special Issue of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication in terms of the theories, functions, cues, and message types on which these articles focus.

Selective Use of News Cues: A Multiple-Motive Perspective on Information Selection in Social Media Environments

“…Most online news sites offer options to recommend, rate, share, or comment on articles, and the corresponding voices of the audience and aggregate statistics (Walther & Jang, 2012) are routinely displayed below or adjacent to the main message.…”

“…Furthermore, they could help one to present oneself as a thoughtful person who is a relatively neutral expert. Therefore, we predict that: H7: Impression-motivated readers will show a stronger preference for balanced articles than defense-motivated readers and readers with generally lower motivation (i.e., the control group).Social media sites also offer additional strategies for impression-motivated readers through the display of cues about the popularity of content, which indicates information about the dominant position in the general public (Walther & Jang, 2012). Knowing popular content and opinions may be particularly useful in social situations in which people aim to appear likeable and agreeable.…”

“…Compared with traditional mass media, Internet users have access to a much wider range of options and more control over the content they consume (Knobloch-Westerwick, Westerwick, & Johnson, 2015). In addition, they are easily able to observe others' recommendations and evaluations of the content that is available (Walther & Jang, 2012). These characteristics of the media environment Corresponding author: Stephan Winter; e-mail: stephan.winter@uni-due.de may have important implications for citizens' selective exposure to information on politics and public affairs.…”

Physician Review Websites: Effects of the Proportion and Position of Negative Reviews on Readers’ Willingness to Choose the Doctor

“…One noticeable advance is that almost any Internet user can contribute content to many websites (Chakravarty, Liu, & Mazumdar, 2010;Walther & Jang, 2012). For example, the eBay (www.ebay.com) and Amazon (www.amazon.com) reputation systems allow a buyer to leave comments about the seller after a transaction.…”

Effects of Self-presentation and Social Media Use in Attainment of Beauty Ideals

“…Examining overt communication behaviors (e.g., sharing photos of using products, forming friendships through consumer pages, etcetera) and self-esteem will provide additional insight about the nature of longitudinal use of these contents. As social media sites are at the forefront of human communication and technology research (Moradi & Huang, 2008;Walther & Jang, 2012), the relatively small impact that content may have may play an important role on self-identity, esteem, and one's overall self. …”