Norm Collisions: How Multi-Community Members Navigate Conflicting Community Rules and Cultures

While Lyu et al. (2024) and Chen et al. (2022) examine participation patterns and valence within individual communities, little is known about what happens when users are embedded in communities with divergent or even contradictory norms. Drawing on MADOC’s cross-platform scope and qualitative methods (Cook et al., 2024), this study would track users who frequently cross boundaries (e.g., from co-creative to co-destructive spaces or from highly-moderated to laissez-faire communities). Through a combination of content analysis (e.g., language shifts, self-presentation), surveys, and interviews, the project would reveal strategies of code-switching, norm resistance, or identity compartmentalization. This could inform moderation policy and enhance our understanding of digital pluralism and user adaptation.

References:

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2. Interplay Among Students' Technical, Social, and Content-Related Participation Patterns in an Online Mathematical Discussion Board. Bailing Lyu, Chenglu Li, Hai Li, Wanli Xing (2024). ACM Conference on Learning @ Scale.
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