Open AccessA Practice‐Based Approach to Understanding Participation in Online Communities
Author(s) -
Rivera Gibrán,
Cox Andrew M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of computer‐mediated communication
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.15
H-Index - 119
ISSN - 1083-6101
DOI - 10.1111/jcc4.12148
Subject(s) - individualism , phenomenon , value (mathematics) , sociology , knowledge management , cognition , online community , public relations , psychology , social psychology , epistemology , computer science , political science , world wide web , philosophy , machine learning , neuroscience , law
The take up of online communities in organisations is often patchy. Previous studies, mainly within the cognitive tradition of thinking, explain such non‐participation either through features of technology or through individuals' motivational structures, and look at participation as a static, individualistic and functionalistic phenomenon. The aim of this article is to explore the insights on participation from a practice‐based approach ( PBA ). The paper draws upon empirical data from the use of collaborative technology in a Mexican University. The adoption of community technology is shown to be shaped by dynamic, collective, historical and contextual forces. Based on these findings, the value and the limits of the PBA , and a series of contributions and practical implications are discussed.