The Evolution of Online Co-Production Groups and Its Effects on Content Quality

47 Pages Posted: 30 Jan 2019 Last revised: 20 May 2019

See all articles by Sorin Adam Matei

Sorin Adam Matei

Purdue University - College of Liberal Arts

Amira Rezgui

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Nicolas Jullien

M@rsouin (Môle Amoricain de Recherche sur la Société de l'information et les Usages d'Internet); IMT Atlantique

Diane Lynne Jackson

Purdue University

Date Written: January 18, 2019

Abstract

What types of social processes generate strong online co-production groups? How do these groups evolve to reach peak performance? How does the quality of the products generated by the groups co-vary with the evolution of their social systems over time? The paper analyzes the entire English and French Wikipedia editorial histories, from their inception until 2015, identifying the specific phases through which two different massive online production systems grew. By tracking the emergence of the high contribution group across two different online spaces on a fine-grained level, the paper uncovers their temporal evolutions and impacts on the organization of social systems. Furthermore, the paper reveals how the quality of the content co-evolves with the emergence of the production groups through each growth phase.

Keywords: Collective Action, Online Co-Production, Wikipedia, Evolution, Phases

JEL Classification: L17, L86, H41

Suggested Citation

Matei, Sorin and Rezgui, Amira and Jullien, Nicolas and Jullien, Nicolas and Jackson, Diane Lynne, The Evolution of Online Co-Production Groups and Its Effects on Content Quality (January 18, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3318148 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3318148

Sorin Matei

Purdue University - College of Liberal Arts ( email )

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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN 47907
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HOME PAGE: http://matei.org

Amira Rezgui

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Nicolas Jullien (Contact Author)

M@rsouin (Môle Amoricain de Recherche sur la Société de l'information et les Usages d'Internet) ( email )

France

IMT Atlantique ( email )

Technopole de Brest Iroise
Brest, 29238
France

Diane Lynne Jackson

Purdue University ( email )

610 Purdue Mall
West Lafayette, IN 47907
United States

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