Alison N. Novak
Sean P. Goggins
ABSTRACT
In this study we focus on the development of jargon within an online community dedicated to a national adult recreational sports league. The complete dataset incorporates 336,642 discussion forum posts contained within 9,559 discussion threads over the course of four years. We analyze one cross cutting discussion dedicated to the development of the community's lexicon, in order to establish a baseline of community jargon to be applied in later analysis of the other forums. This discussion, titled "the code", contains 249 comments made by 44 individuals. Our methods marry social network analysis with identification of individual, task and maintenance roles, to examine the roles of actors in establishing and contributing to the adoption of the set of jargon. Our findings build an understanding how individuals construct a shared language in a virtual space that is used in both the discussion forum and in physical interactions.
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