Online Communities

Online Communities
COMM 4625 <2026-SP>
Help / Office Hours
Content
TU/FR 1:35–3:15pm
Ryder 220 (
map
TU&FR at 15:30+
email to schedule
Dr. Reagle
215 Holmes Hall
Tip: Enter at
41A
Leon St.
Policies
Assignments
Rubrics
Resources
Schedule
Course objectives
Can online communities be “real”? Yes! People use online platforms to coalesce via enduring group
identities, activities, and cultures. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to
explain the dynamics of online communities including the
joining, culture, governance, and
exit
—with scholarly readings complemented by contemporary cases. Furthermore, you will have
experience with the development and challenges of online communities via
hands-on
interventions
(including contributions to Wikipedia and an experiment with your own online
networks). Our orientation will be that of asking
how can one design successful online
communities
? This could be valuable to you as a participant, as a supporter of a social cause,
or as part of your employment. Successful completion of this course enables one to:
Apply and compare theories related to communities and culture (e.g., theories of socialization;
methods of governance; and mechanisms and norms of gratitude).
Hone your communication skills in prose (e.g., reading responses) and speech (e.g., assignment
debriefs).
Apply your scholarly skills in a novel context. For example, Wikipedia’s principles of
Neutral Point of View
and
Verifiability
are subtly
different—and often more rigorous—than what you’ve encountered in school.
Learn why and how community norms emerge and abide by them (at Wikipedia) or challenge them (in
your social breach experiment).
Learn how—technically and socially—to participate in an online community (e.g., the tools and
conventions for collaboration).
Reflect on what you learned relative to your academic experience so far, our course content,
your interactions outside of class, and the differences across our studied communities.
Policies
Active learning and the Web
To really know shoelaces, you have to tie shoes. — Matthew Crawford (2009)
Shop Class as
Soulcraft
This is an
active learning
course meaning that you will be partaking in class and group discussions, participating in class
exercises, and sharing and relating what we learn to the larger world.
I also make much use of the Web. For instance, this syllabus is a Web page that I update; I
expect you to
it and
to follow links. (If you find a broken link or typo, let me know!) You can easily find things on
this page with
⌘+f
. You
can open links in new tabs with
control-click
. We will also make use of
Google Drive. In emails I often use
markdown conventions
and
respond below your
quoted (‘>’)
text
Academic Integrity
In short, come to class on time and with the readings and assignments completed; be respectful
and willing to collaborate. There are no provisions for missed exams or late assignments. If you
have an issue, such as needing accommodation—illness, disability, athletic event, or religious
obligation—do not plead afterward. Instead, beforehand, offer proposals that show initiative and a
willingness to work.
Academic Integrity
is of utmost importance: “The promotion of independent and original scholarship ensures that
students derive the most from their educational experience and their pursuit of knowledge.”
Violations include cheating, plagiarism, and participating in or encouraging dishonesty. If you
cheat on an exam, you will receive zero credit and be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. If
you
plagiarize
seven or more words in a row or misuse
AI-based tools, the same will follow.
AI tool usage
AI-based tools can
help and hinder
our education. They can tempt us to skip learning and
misrepresent our work; this is academic misconduct. They can also be used well and honestly, which
requires disclosure and careful effort—they can plagiarize and “hallucinate” facts and sources.
Therefore,
AI tools
cannot
be used for quizzes or exams
; doing so is
misconduct. For anything else, submitted work
must substantively be your own
; if not, this
is misconduct.
All assignments submitted to Canvas
must
have an appendix with a link to your
document’s version history (i.e., a link to itself). Versioning and history is native to
GDocs
which I strongly recommend. If you use MS
Word
you
must
enable [Track Changes] from the start
and
save the file on
Northeastern’s
Office 365
or
OneDrive/Sharepoint
You must grant me editor permissions
from the start
. You
must
also be prepared to
speak with me to demonstrate your understanding.
If you use AI tools for improving your work (e.g., ChatGPT for feedback or GrammarlyGo and
Quillbot for improving composition), include a note or appendix
describing your use
(feel
free to link to your chat thread); failing to do so is misconduct.
Devices and professionalism
We sometimes use devices in class as part of an activity, but the default policy is for gadgets
to be silenced and put away. If you want to use a device throughout the course, email me a
device proposal
with your intended usage.
Device users might also be called upon you to perform tasks such as looking things up or taking
collaborative notes.
Deviations from classroom professionalism and respect may result in dismissal from class and
demerits against your grade. See full
course
policies
for more details.
Assignments
There are 1000 points at stake over the term. This is converted to letter grades based on
thresholds
, without rounding. For
example, 870 is a B+; 869 is not. Due dates are included in the
schedule
Because this is an upper-level course, I give greater freedom than in introduction classes where
require
things like essay proposals. Being prepared and getting good feedback are still
essential to doing well, I just don’t
make
you do it: you have greater freedom to do
poorly. Also, because this is a capstone, I’d like for you to have work products you can be proud
of. So if you have a creative idea, let me know!
(200 pts)
Class participation
Unexcused absences will affect your participation grade. Excused absences are shared with the
instructor beforehand and include: athletic, religious, health and disability accommodations, and
two
Wellness Days
(via
Student Hub
).
Participation entails much more than (even perfect) attendance; participation is assessed
rigorously. Please see
participation
assessment
for more.
(100 pts)
QICs
(Question, Insight,
Connection)
Ninety minutes prior to class leave a signed
Question, Insight, and/or
Connection
from the readings (no more than 200 words). Be careful of
overwriting others’ edits or losing your
own
. In this class, QICs are supposed to be a bit easier/quicker than a full reading response,
but you should still consult
The Craft of Reading
and
What Makes a Good
Response
. You must
post a QIC for 12 classes
during the semester; you may not
add them after the fact. You are welcome to add one in response to someone else’s. However, you
don’t want to give the appearance of only reading the most trivial of the readings and then
piggybacking on your peers. Please keep careful count and number your QICs.
(200 pts)
Essay on user influence and motivation
Write an
essay
of ~1500
words on a
chosen
topic
related to influence and motivation; follow
writing
requirements
below. Exercise course concepts and use a design perspective: how is what we’ve
learned about motivation and persuasion used (or not) to build online community? Use external
(scholarly or journalistic) sources, as appropriate, but the focus should be on engaging with course
content. Remember to include an appendix with a description of
AI tool
usage
, if any, and a link to your document’s history. Previous student submissions included:
“Influence and Motivation in Reddit,” “The Online Dating Game,” “Instagram: Instant Motivation,”
“Crowd-funding and Motivation,” and “Getting Healthy with Hashtags.” I suggest you send me an email
with a short proposal at least a week before it is due and that you ask one or more peers to give
you feedback before turning it in.
Projects
Each of the following projects includes a written and debrief component. The ~1500 word written
reports must follow the
writing requirements
and specific
instructions below. Again, exercise course concepts and use a design perspective. Remember to
include an appendix with a description of
AI tool usage
, if any, and a
link to your document’s history.
Social media breaching experiment
(200pts)
Analysis
Choose one or more
breaching experiment
s that
will allow you to offer a strong thesis (novel argument or explained mystery), make use of course
content, and write prose that is concise, clear, coherent, and cohesive. Follow the
writing requirements
of a traditional essay and the
ethical requirements
associated with a
class-only report of a confidential space that you disguise. Include your name and submit the
electronic version via
Canvas
before class.
(50pts)
Presentation
On the debrief day you will give a 5-minute (maximum) presentation with Q&A at the end of the
session. See my tips and rubric for
presenting
; it’s best to
present from the classroom computer,
make your deck public
—to
everyone
, not just Northeastern—and link to your slides in the
Slides
Doc
Wikipedia
(50pts)
Draft
contribution
Submit the link of your draft contribution on Canvas. Your draft will be assessed using the
relevant Wikipedia
perfect
article
criteria. I will advise you how to proceed. (Asking AI for feedback using this criteria
is apt.)
(50pts)
Final
contribution
Your final Wikipedia contribution will be assessed based on Wikipedia’s
perfect article
criteria, as
well as the quantity and quality of your edits—offset against those I made (which you can see in the
history tab). (Asking AI for feedback using this criteria is apt.)
(150pts)
Reflection
Your reflection will be assessed via our
writing rubric
Document and reflect upon your contributions to Wikipedia in light of what we’ve learned about
online community, especially the management of newcomers, moderation, and community governance.
Write this on a
subpage
of your
Wikipedia User page—not your User or Talk page. Although you will be writing in the first person
about your experiences, be analytical and engage course concepts, have a thesis (explanation or
argument), cite your sources, and structure your reflection accordingly. Follow the
ethical requirements
associated with a
public report of a public space.
Additionally, your reflection should make use of Wikipedia features such as Wikipedia
citations
and links to article
versions and specific contributions (or “
diffs
”)
as part of your discussion; see my user page
Link section
for a demo. Link to your activity throughout the semester, such as your peer reviews, expression of
gratitude, and other interactions with Wikipedians. In short, show me what you’ve done in the
context of course content.
Submit a link to your reflection via Canvas. For the debrief, we will discuss rather than have
presentations.
TRACE (2pts)
Our college requires all students to complete TRACE evaluations at the end of the semester even
if you (anonymously) opt out of completing the survey. To receive a 2-point bonus, submit evidence
of completing TRACE to the Canvas assignment.
Writing requirements
Except for the Wikipedia reflection, assignments must be double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch
margins. (One page contains approximately 250 words.) Citations and bibliography must be in the
APA style
. No APA cover page is
required. Include your name and submit the electronic version via
Canvas
before class.
Your mission is to demonstrate comprehensive engagement and understanding of course material in
prose that is clear, concise, coherent, and cohesive; see the
writing rubric
If you have permission to revise a written assignment for re-assessment, please see these
revision instructions
Rubrics
Course
Communication Studies courses are expected, on average, to have a GPA of no more than a 3.3 (B+);
this means those receiving an A or A- are in the minority.
According to the
course rubric
, an excellent
“A” student:
shows
mastery
in assignments. Their work demonstrates an impressive
understanding of readings, discussions, themes, and ideas. It is fluid, clear, analytical,
well-organized, and grammatically polished. Reasoning and logic are well-grounded and examples
precise.
has virtually perfect
attendance
. Their commitment to the class resembles that
of the teacher.
is
prepared
for class. They always read assignments and participate fully.
Their attention to detail is such that they occasionally catch the teacher in a mistake.
shows
interest
in the class. They look up what they don’t understand. They
often ask interesting questions or make thoughtful comments.
has
retentive
minds. They can connect past learning with the present.
has a winning
attitude
. They have the determination, initiative, and
self-discipline to succeed.
Letter grades
Impressive: worthy of being an exemplar.
Good: many strengths and some weaknesses.
Satisfactory: strengths marred by weaknesses.
Unsatisfactory: weaknesses dominate (any) strengths.
Deficient: fails to address assignment or academic requirements.
See the
grading scale
for
letter↔︎points thresholds.
Writing
As the
writing
rubric
states, excellent prose:
has
impressive
engagement
with the assignment, sources, and concepts.
has
impressive
understanding
of the same.
is
polished
with a
snappy
start
sharp
thesis
; it is
clear
and
concise
, with
coherent
structure
, and
cohesive
sentences
correctly
uses
sourcing
when appropriate.
Participation
See the
participation
assessment
Resources
This syllabus has many links (remember,
⌘+f
is
your friend), but I’ve gathered some of the most important ones below.
Northeastern:
library resources
writing center
, and
international tutoring
center
Platforms
Wikipedia
Dashboard
and reading
QICs
Google
Drive
Canvas
Essays
Writing rubric and
guide
Choosing a
topic
Revision
instructions
In class
Show & tell submissions
Lecture slide deck handouts
Participation assessment
Presenting
Readings
Most readings are linked to from this page, if not check this
zip file
. For selections, I specify the chapter (ch=) or pages (pp=) to read.
If you encounter a
paywall
, try
incognito mode
; pasting the URL at
archive.ph
GhostArchive.org
archive.org
, or searching for the title at
Proquest
via our library. I use the browser
plugin Web
Archives
to help with this.
Schedule
Jan 09 Fri - Introduction and community
We learn each other’s names, review the course objectives, and begin our discussion of community
by way of early examples. What do we mean by “community” and how do online forums qualify?
David W. McMillan, David M. Chavis, 1986,
Sense
of community: A definition and theory
Lori Kendall, 2003, “Early internet history”
in the zip file above
Bring a
mnemonic
that
connects your name with a memorable image: “Imagine me …” I could say: “Imagine Prof. Reagle being
chased by beagles.”
Jan 13 Tue - Wikipedia introduction
Before class, read “Nazis and Norms” and complete the tasks below to learn the basics of editing
Wikipedia.
Joseph Reagle, 2010,
Nazis and norms
Good Faith
Collaboration
, ch=1
Due:
Wikipedia task 1
Before class,
enroll
on our Wikipedia dashboard. Following the “enroll” link should work, if not, “Join course” on our
WP
dashboard
—under “Actions”—using passcode “tiuaylmw”.
Make sure you are enrolled and logged in and complete the tutorials for (1) the
Sandbox, Talk
Pages, and Watchlists
, (2)
Editing Basics
, and (3)
Wikipedia Policies
(20 + 10 + 20 = 50 minutes). Upon completion, you will have created an account, made edits in a
sandbox, and learned the basic rules of the Wikipedia community. I recommend you add the pages
Help:Cheatsheet
and
Help:Wiki markup
as the first (of many to
come) bookmarks in a new folder on your browser. If you are in need of quick help, head over to the
English Wikipedia chat
channel
On your user page introduce yourself to the community—but you need not disclose personally
identifiable information. Consider adding
some userboxes
. Make sure to
include the following:
As part of [[User:Reagle]]'s online community class, I will be contributing to Wikipedia and reflecting on the experience on a user page here.
Look ahead to the
class
where you pick a topic and start thinking
about what you’d like to write an article about. For example, past students contributed
Richmond Newspapers,
Inc. v. Virginia
and
Friends of the Public
Garden
Jan 16 Fri - User influence & motivation
Why might people join a community, platform, or app? What is the psychology behind motivation and
the dangers of its exploitation?
Robert B. Cialdini, 2001,
The science of persuasion
Scientific American
Ian Leslie, 2016, “
The
scientists who make apps addictive
”.
Jan 20 Tue - Designing for motivation
Is it possible for extrinsic motivators to “crowd out” intrinsic motives? Kohn has concerns about
the extrinsic motive of rewards. Gittip/Gratipay was a crowd-funding site, like
Patreon
, focused on supporting open-source software developers
by way of recurring user contributions. Yet, might this type of extrinsic reward engender
resentment?
Alfie Kohn, 1999, “Cutting the interest rate: the fifth reason rewards fail,” ch=4-6, from
Punished by Rewards
(This PDF is in the
zip file above
.)
Skim chapter 4, read chapter 5, chapter 6 might be interesting to you as a student
Chad Whitacre, 2013,
Resentment
Jan 23 Fri - A/B testing & finding a Wikipedia topic
We make a slight digression to consider one of the dominant means of online design (A/B testing)
and to understand how Wikipedia users are persuaded to donate, based on an unusually transparent
fundraiser.
Brian Christian, 2012,
The A/B test:
Inside the technology that’s changing the rules of business
paywall?
Wikimedia, 2010,
Fundraising
2010/Banner testing
Before class, complete the following tasks. We will review and extend your efforts in class.
We’ll be working with
guest
Brooke Williams
, a Northeastern
librarian.
Due:
Wikipedia task 2
Have you completed the first training and signed-up from the
earlier
task
Introduce yourself to Prof.
Reagle
and a
classmate on their
Talk pages
Add your User page and Talk page to your
watchlist
Complete the
Evaluating Articles and
Sources
and
Finding Your Article
training; choose a topic for which you can write or significantly expand an article with
5–8
well-sourced paragraphs
. A good topic has a high
notability
(significant coverage in
reliable sources
independent of the subject) and is one
you are
not
associated with
. It is better to choose a notable and well-sourced topic of which you are
ignorant than vice versa. See what
previous students have
done
and feel free to discuss ideas with me.
Brainstorm some topics, consider:
news about scholars or books, under-appreciated locales or history, and events.
Wikipedia articles you have consulted that are out of date.
Red links to non-existent articles, including in
categories
and
boxes
Requested articles
includes potential topics—but you still must make sure there are enough reliable sources.
WikiProject
Stub
includes categories for articles that have been categorized as stubs in need of
expansion—can you find one that you can expand with sufficient and well-sourced content?
things you have taken photos of recently;
WARNING: Popular culture, products and businesses, and social media celebrities are too often
challenged as
promotional
—they
are best avoided.
Find at least
four
reliable
sources
that are independent of the subject: this can include books, magazines, and
newspapers—but not press releases, marketing, PR news wires, blogs, and self-published material.
Reliable sources
, such as
The New York Times
, typically have
their own
Wikipedia
article
. If your source isn’t notable enough to have its own article, it might not be reliable
enough to serve as a bibliographic source.
Find three Wikipedia articles most similar to your topic. This will ensure you avoid duplication
and you have exemplars to follow. Review their Talk pages to see what kind of issues are of concern.
(Maybe earlier attempts at your topic failed.) Contributors to these related pages and those of
associated
WikiProjects
can be a
source of help and feedback.
Identify at least
one
WikiProject
that
would cover your topic.
Document your choice,
reliable sources
WikiProject, and related Wikipedia articles on the course’s talk page under
proposed topics
If you are uncertain about your choice, propose a few and we’ll discuss.
Jan 27 Tue - Platform affordances: Twitter/X, Mastodon, and BlueSky
What
kind
of community can exist on Twitter? What does the platform facilitate and how
might a community function? Could Mastodon or BlueSky be a new home for Black Twitter?
Erin Kissane, 2023,
The affordance
loop
Kyle Chayka, 2022,
What
fleeing Twitter users will—and won’t—find on Mastodon
paywall?
, e.g.,
at
archive.is
Jason Parham, 2022,
There is no
replacement for Black Twitter
paywall?
, e.g., at
archive.is
Jan 30 Fri - Creating a Wikipedia outline with citations
Before class, complete the following tasks. We will review and extend your efforts in class.
We’ll be working with
guest
Brooke Williams
, a Northeastern
librarian. No need to write a QIC.
Make sure you have at least four
reliable sources
on
your topic and experiment with how to make Wikipedia citations on your sandbox subpage.
Due:
Wikipedia task 3
Make sure
you are logged in
and your
preferences are set
such that you
still have the visual
and
syntax editor tabs available.
Complete the
Drafting in the
sandbox
Adding citations
and
Using Generative AI on
Wikipedia
trainings. Bookmark
Help:Referencing
for beginners
for reference.
On the
WP
dashboard
assign yourself an article, this will create a
subpage
of your user page on which you
can start drafting.
Write an outline of your article—with citations—on this page.
Remember, there’s more to the world than that found in a Web search. You could search
Access World
News
for news articles and Amazon and
Google for
books
Make use of the four or more
reliable sources
you
previously identified in your citations.
Feb 03 Tue - Ethics (interlude)
While I will not be asking you to conduct formal interviews it is still important for us to
consider the ethical implications of studying online communities. Do you think the Facebook study
was ethical? Should academics be held to a higher standard?
Amy Bruckman, 2006,
Teaching
students to study online communities ethically
Journal of Information Ethics
Wikipedia, 2016,
Facebook: User
influence experiments
Josephine Lukito, J. Nathan Matias, Sarah Gilbert, 2023,
Enabling
independent research without unleashing ethics disasters
Due: Essay on user influence and motivation
Feb 06 Fri - Norm compliance and breaching
We are now going to spend a couple of weeks on how communities regulate and govern themselves.
Garfinkel is summarized well in the Wikipedia article and I provide the PDF in the zip file—should
you need specifics or quotes for the breach assignment. After today’s class, begin your own
breaching experiment
Kraut
et al.
ch=4 pp=151-170 (claims 21-33)
Wikipedia,
Breaching
experiment
Harold Garfinkel, 1976,
Studies in ethnomethodology
in zip file
above
Feb 10 Tue - Regulation and pro-social norms
Let’s continue reading about community regulations and norms. Today, we’re looking at limiting
bad behavior and the effects thereof, especially with respect to making norms salient. Have you been
able to discern norms at Wikipedia? As you read, think about other spaces (online and off) that may
have related norms, such as Reddit’s
Change My
View
Kraut
et al.
ch=4 pp=125-150 (claims 1-20)
Reagle, 2010,
“Be nice”: Wikipedia
norms for supportive communication
Feb 13 Fri - Newcomer gateways
In many regards, having newcomers to a community is a good problem to have. Nonetheless, it can
be a problem. How do successful communities keep and integrate newcomers into their fold? I’ve also
asked you to read about two gateways to new membership in an online gaming guild and a humorous take
on Wikipedia socialization.
Kraut
et al.
ch=5 pp=179-205 (claims 1-16)
Two Eve Online guilds
Is Dreddit Recruiting
?:
YES, and here’s how
GoonWaffe 110
Wikipedia, 2026,
Wikipedia:Seven Ages of
Wikipedians
Wikipedia, 2026,
Wikipedia:Adopt-a-user
Due:
Wikipedia task 4
Complete
Communicating with
Others on Wikipedia
Do at least two “suitable for all editor” tasks from the
Wikipedia:Task Center
(i.e.,
categorization, copy editing, fact-checking, and random article patrol).
Feb 17 Tue - Newcomer initiation
Why do people sometimes feel such an affinity for groups that abuse them?
Kraut
et al.
ch=5 pp=205-223 (claims 17-25)
Elliot Aronson, Judson Mills, 1959, “
The effect of
severity of initiation on liking for a group
,”
Journal of Abnormal and Social
Psychology
Feb 20 Fri - Collaboration and feedback
In one reading we look at Wikipedia’s collaborative culture and ask if there is something there
that contributes to its success. We also consider an experimental study on the efficacy of
feedback.
Joseph Reagle, 2010, “
Good faith collaboration
,”
Good Faith Collaboration
, ch=3
Haiyi Zhu, Amy Zhang, Jiping He, Robert E. Kraut, Aniket Kittur, 2013, “
Effects of peer
feedback on contribution: A field experiment in Wikipedia
Due:
Wikipedia task 5: rough draft
Complete the
Images
and Media
training if you plan on using media in your article.
Your sandbox article should now be
minimum viable product
, with a good
structure, 5–8 paragraphs of contributed content, sources, and appropriate wiki syntax.
Ask me for a review of your contribution with a link to your draft (in email or on
Wikipedia).
I will review your contribution and (1) ask you to proceed
or
(2) revise and
request another review.
If
you are ready to proceed to Mainspace, read the “
Moving
your work into Wikipedia’s mainspace
” training and do one of the following.
If this is a new article, proceed to Mainspace. Note that redirected and (formerly) deleted
articles will require my help.
If this is an extension, start porting your revised and new sections over to the existing
article.
On the article’s Talk page, invite feedback; you can find interested Wikipedians on related
WikiProjects, the
Tea House
, the
peer feedback
page, and via major
authors
of this or related pages.
Respond to any feedback you get toward making a
perfect article
Feb 24 Tue - Moderation: Frameworks
What options are available for the moderation of online communities?
James Grimmelmann, 2015, “
The virtues
of moderation
.” (You may skip section IV “Lessons for Law.”)
Ethan Zuckerman, Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci, 2020, “
Local
logic: It’s not always a beautiful day in the neighborhood
”.
Feb 27 Fri - Moderation: Platforms’ liability
Moderation has legal impetuses and consequences. Consider the spectrum of Barlow’s laissez-faire
in the 90s to the government interventions (and politics) of today. Where do you think the balance
should be struck?
John Perry Barlow, 1996, “
A declaration of
the independence of cyberspace
”.
US Congress, 1996, “
Protection for
private blocking and screening of offensive material (47 USC § 230)
”.
Stuart B. Leijon, 2025, “
Anderson v. TikTok: A
landmark decision shakes section 230 immunity
”.
Mar 03 Tue - NO CLASS
Mar 06 Fri - NO CLASS
Mar 10 Tue - Reddit’s degradations and delights
Let’s consider Reddit’s attempts at moderating its forums, which is not easy. In this collection
of readings, we can see how Reddit’s character can be both awful and delightful. What could they
change to make things better? Find an example of a weird subreddit and an uplifting one for class
discussion.
Andrew Marantz, 2018, “
Reddit
and the struggle to detoxify the Internet
” (
paywall?
see also, Reddit, 2026, “
Reddiquette
Wikipedia, 2026, “
Controversial Reddit
communities
Sohyeon Hwang, Jeremy Foote, 2021,
Why
do people participate in small online communities?
Siva Prakash, 2022,
r/place:
Internet culture in a nutshell
Mar 13 Fri - Debrief: Social breaching
Due: Social breaching
Turn in your breaching analysis on Canvas.
You must give a five-minute or less talk, in-person (TED-like) or recorded (like
Veritasium
) following the
presentation
recommendations
. If you wish to use a projector
make your deck public
—to
everyone
, not just Northeastern—and link to your slides in the
Slides
Doc
Mar 17 Tue - Governance and banning at Wikipedia
Let’s focus on questions of governance, specifically: how are decisions made? Also, what kind of
sanctions and decision-making processes are available to censure users?
Joseph Reagle, 2010,
The challenges of consensus
ch=5
Wikipedia, 2026,
Wikipedia:Banning policy
Stephen Harrison, 2021,
The
tensions behind Wikipedia’s new code of conduct
Due:
Wikipedia task 6
In your
Wikipedia preferences
go to the
Gadets
tab and enable:
Navigation popups
(under Browsing): hovering your mouse over “(prev)” in your article’s history shows you the changes
people make.
wikEdDiff
(under
Editing): can show a nicer version of differences between pages, as borrowed from the WikiEdu
dashboard.
With your work now live in the Mainspace, begin reaching out for help from Wikipedians; you can
find interested Wikipedians on related WikiProjects, the
Tea House
, the
peer feedback
page, and via major
authors
of this or related pages.
Respond to any feedback you get toward making a
perfect article
Mar 20 Fri - Artificial Intelligence and moderation
Platforms have used artificial intelligence (AI) to filter and moderate content. What are the
dangers and limitations? Now, AI is being used by spammers, scammers, and plagiarists to get around
such controls. What can platforms and communities do?
Tarleton Gillespie, 2020,
Content
moderation, AI, and the question of scale
Joseph Reagle, 2023,
Verisimilitude:
The AI storm is already here for moderators
Ethan Mollick, 2023,
My class required
AI. Here’s what I’ve learned so far
Mar 24 Tue - Algorithms and community health: TikTok
How do algorithms shape the communities we inhabit, especially those people typically on the
margins?
Ellen Simpson, Bryan Semaan, 2021,
For you, or for
“you”?
(see PDF in
zip file above
Taiyler Simone Mitchell, 2021,
How
TikTok is responding to allegations it censored Black creators
paywall?
Due:
Wikipedia task 7
I will assign you two peers’ articles to review.
Ensure you give feedback on the students’ contributions.
Give feedback using the criteria of a
perfect article
Big changes could be suggested or done (and documented) on the article talk page.
Be bold and directly copy-edit smaller changes in the two reviewed articles.
Mar 27 Fri - Parasocial relationships, “stans”, and “wife guys”
Wong introduces the notion of “parasocial relationships” in the context of “wife guy”
disappointment—and it’s not just guys, I was disappointed to learn of
Ali
Wong’s divorce
. Malik and Haidar show how a community can develop around fan-based para-social
relationships.
Brittany Wong, 2021,
Wait,
what the heck is a ‘parasocial relationship’?
Zunera Malik, Sham Haidar, 2020, “
Online community development through social
interaction — K-Pop stan twitter as a community of practice
” (see PDF in
zip
file above
).
Mar 31 Tue - FOMO and dark patterns
We return to psychology, and how it can be exploited to make users feel they might miss out. Is
this something online communities and marketers should take advantage of? Or do you think it is
unethical?
Joseph Reagle, 2015,
Following the Joneses: FOMO and
conspicuous sociality
Arvind Narayanan, Arunesh Mathur, Marshini Chetty, Mihir Kshirsagar, 2020,
Dark patterns: Past, present, future
Harry Brignull, Mark Leiser, Christiana Santos, Kosha Doshi, 2023,
Types of deceptive patterns
Apr 03 Fri - RTFM: Read the Fine Manual
Newcomers are sometimes explicitly (or implicitly) expected to learn rudimentary knowledge before
joining the community. But is it alienating to ask them to first “read the fucking manual”? Can you
find an example of a “FAQ slap” in which someone is told the equivalent?
Joseph Reagle, 2014,
The obligation to know: From FAQ to
Feminism 101
Know Your Meme, 2014,
RTFM
Apr 07 Tue - Community fission and the Reddit diaspora
Controversial communities are sometimes pushed from a platform. Our key question: Is this a good
thing? Is the moderation fair? Ought platforms support free speech? And if you think a community is
harmful, is it productive to push it out to metastasize elsewhere?
These are controversial, culture-war topics. And Fain and Astria, plus the linked-to podcast, are
written from the perspective of the Reddit diaspora. Independent of how you feel about the positions
expressed, use these cases to consider the questions above.
Craig Timberg, Drew Harwell, 2021,
TheDonald
founder Jody Williams says hate, QAnon, extremism went too far on the pro-trump site
library
access
Dominique Sisley, 2021,
Brutal
relationship advice for women from the Internet’s most ruthless dating site
Astria, 2022,
ReddXit:
Why FDS is abandoning Reddit (and you should too)
M.K. Fain, 2020,
New feminist
site, Ovarit, fills the gap left by r/GenderCritical
(Ovarit moderators burned out in 2025,
prompting another diaspora.)
Apr 10 Fri - Gratitude
Today we will consider the role of gratitude within a community.
Airi Lampinen, Vilma Lehtinen, Coye Cheshire, Emmi Suhonen, 2013, Presentation of
Indebtedness
and Reciprocity in Local Online Exchange
; in addition to that slide deck, skim the
full
paper
and read the last section “Design Implications”
Nathan Matias, 2014,
Gratitude and its
Dangers in Social Technologies
Nathan Matias, Julia Kamin, Max Klein, 2019, “
Kittens,
baklava, and bubble tea: How Wikipedians thank each other in different languages
”; if you are
interested, you can also read some
objections
to Wikilove when it was deployed
StackOverflow, 2014,
What should I do
when someone answers my question?
Due:
Wikipedia task 8
Give at least one Wikipedian who is not associated with our class a token of
Wikilove
or
thanks
. (BTW: There is a log
of all
thanks given
, that you
can search.)
Apr 14 Tue - Debrief: Wikipedia
What do we think of the Wikipedia community and experience? No need for a QIC today, rather think
about the following.
Due:
Wikipedia task 9: contribution & debrief
Add final touches to your Wikipedia article and submit the link on Canvas. Asking AI for
feedback with respect to reliable sources, encyclopedic tone, and
Wikipedia Manual of Style
is an
apt use.
Has anyone
seen your page
? I’ll also be
looking at your other Wikipedia contributions in the second half of the semester.
Outline a reflective essay (see
Assignments
) about your Wikipedia
contributions on a user page. (
NOTE
: essay due date is below).
Prepare for an in-class discussion about your Wikipedia editing experience relative to our
discussions on how to design for a successful community. Don’t ramble, but tell us in about 4
minutes:
what would you recommend Wikipedia do to:
welcome newcomers
persuade people to contribute and donate
increase motivation
regulate vandals
what surprised you?
what annoyed you?
Apr 17 Fri - Exit and infocide
Although many scholars and practitioners focus on recruiting and retaining community members,
what about exit? Beyond the celebrities who
quit
, consider why people leave. Check out some of the user pages that use
Template:Retired
Joseph Reagle, 2012,
410 Gone—Infocide in Open
Content Communities
Wikipedia, 2026,
Wikipedia:Wikibreak
Wikipedia, 2022,
Pages
that link to “Template:Retired”
( which is basis for
class
activity
Due: Screenshot of TRACE completion due on Canvas.
Apr 21 Tue - (no class meeting)
Due: Wikipedia reflection, see
assignments
Joseph Reagle
. Please reuse and share!
Elements of this course are inspired by similar courses from
Aaron Shaw
and
Mako
Hill