Abby Mueller
Lurking in Online Communities
Literature Review
Lurking is a crime that everyone is guilty of at least one point in their online careers.
When someone lurks online, it simply means that they casually scroll through and read messages
and posts, while never actually responding to the messages or posting anything themselves.
Marion Underwood and Samuel Ehrenreich (2017) explain that the intrigue of social media in
adolescents, who are the most heavily populated group using social media, is relatable in two
ways to the coconstruction theory. “Coconstruction theory suggests that adolescents help to
create the content of digital communication that shapes their lives, and that there may be strong
continuity between adolescents’ offline and online lives” (Underwood et al, 2017, p. 144). First,
they suggest that since adolescents’ online world tends to relate so similarly to their offline
world, they use social media as a tool to get a first-hand tour of everyone’s social lifestyle.
Second, lurking through media can sometimes be seen as good, as it enables users to further
develop fundamental processes of adolescence. For instance, self-exploration, devising a unique
identify, and mediate through social norms are all examples. Lurking has become a huge factor
in social media user’s online world as an estimated 75% of teens report they have a smartphone,
and 24% of teens claim they find themselves online almost constantly (Underwood et al, 2017, p.
150). Overall, Underwood and Ehrenreich (2017) confirmed that lurking through content
replaces crucial activities that help adolescents develop. Face-to-face conversations, homework,
reading, planning and problem solving, and less demanding activities such as day dreaming,
sleep, and self-reflection are examples that are crucial during the developing process. Ultimately,
not thoroughly developing these skills can drastically lower user’s satisfaction with school, while
at the same time feeling awful when they compare the flawless lives their peers flaunt on social
media to their own. Michael Beaudoin (2002, p. 148) assumes that users who prefer to lurk are
auto-didactic learners. These are people who try and stay as anonymous as possible. He also
believes they lurk because of a few reasons. One, writing online can be less spontaneous and
more formal than face to face communication. Two, they are worried their ideas have already
been expressed by someone else without them knowing, and three, they simply do not feel
comfortable while navigating the complexity of online platforms.
Rationale
There is a deficiency in controlling lurking within social media platforms. Lurking is a
problem especially if most users of the online community rarely, if ever contribute. The main
elements of real life communities are to participate and get involved, then benefit from it through
opportunities, knowledge, and creating bonds with people. The same social rules should be
applied in online communities. No one wants to be involved in groups where nothing is ever
said. “Such online communities cannot survive because there is so much happening on the
Internet that people do not return to silent communities. In such a situation, community
developers need to take action to encourage participation” (Preece et al, 2004, p. 203). However,
lurking is seen as less of an issue depending on how large the online community is. The larger it
is, the less concerning and less of a threat lurking is because there are more people who would be
willing to post their own ideas and events instead of scrolling through others’. Most current
technologies allow for lurking to occur as they do not set a recommended posting time frame. If
they want effective posting, then they should create a timer that disables someone’s account if
they do not post something in the online community within a certain amount of time. They
should also encourage use of the platform, so they have a high population making the overall
community less susceptible to lurk. It is important for users to understand that those who post
about their lives and experiences can benefit from it in many ways. Such ways include having a
stronger feeling of connectedness to the other online community members, and learning how to
better frame their thoughts.
Application Development
Creating a technology that is easy to use, easy to navigate, and still informational is the
overall goal. I hypothetically developed a mobile app called “Speakloud” and it will be an app
that individuals can easily add to their collection of social media platforms. The process of
creating an account will be similar to any other app, where one would be required to create a
username and password, verified with an email. Anyone of any age will be allowed to make an
account, however each person will only be allowed one account. “Speakloud” will be free and
will let anyone post about what is important to them. There will be several different options on
how to post, such as image/video, status, fun fact, news, or important event (birthday, holiday,
etc.). This is also a good way of organization because if a user chooses to browse, they can filter
their search for a specific category of posts. The main feature of the app will be a timer. A user
of “Speakloud” is required to post an update at least once every two weeks, or else their account
will be disabled. The only way to get it enabled is to post something. If someone is unsure of
what to post, they can be provided with the option of seeing a suggestion box with posting ideas.
Another major aspect of this app will be that all the information on it must be accurate and up to
date. There will not be any “fake news” or click bait articles that provide untrue facts/rumors.
There will be a built-in fact checker program to verify all posts are true. Instant messaging will
be allowed, and each person will have a profile that only they can access to see all their previous
posts. This is important, as the goal is for people to not sit on another person’s profile and
endlessly scroll through their information. However, it will allow someone to choose up to ten
people who have access to view their account, such as immediate family, close friends,
significant others, etc. “Speakloud” will be fun, easy to use, and a modified version of many of
the commonly used social media sites combined.
Mock up
References
Beaudoin, M. F. (2002). Learning or lurking?: Tracking the “invisible” online student. The
internet and higher education, 5(2), 147-155.
Preece, J., Nonnecke, B., & Andrews, D. (2004). The top five reasons for lurking: improving
community experiences for everyone. Computers in human behavior, 20(2), 201-223.
Underwood, M. K., & Ehrenreich, S. E. (2017). The power and the pain of adolescents’ digital
communication: Cyber victimization and the perils of lurking. American
Psychologist, 72(2), 144.
