Co-constructing controversy: Content analysis of collaborative knowledge negotiation in online communities – An Article Summary

I read a fascinating article on knowledge sharing and co-creation, and think it is quite timely for #5Papers:

1/ I read Hara & Sanfilippo (2016) Co-constructing controversy: Content analysis of collaborative knowledge negotiation in online communities http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2016.1142595 #5Papers

2/ This study explored a social construction of knowledge in online environments

3/ They asked “How do ordinary citizens make sense of contested scientific knowledge in online communities?”

4/ Online knowledge collaboration seems to involve sharing existing knowledge (knowledge reuse) and collaborative knowledge creation site

5/ This study focused around 3 online communities discussing the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine and previous faulty science myths

6/ The authors did a content analysis of postings in this area and coded the results (great example of qualitative code use in practice!)

7/ The researchers identified 4 content categories–editorial, knowledge components, knowledge scaffolding, and vandalism. Useful for future studies.

8/ The examples the researchers shared with the limits of their research were excellent examples for how to acknowledge them

9/ I am unclear why the authors talked about the statistical significance of their qualitative findings, but a minor point in the wider methodology

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