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NETWORK of KNOWLEDGE: WIKIPEDIA AS a SOCIOTECHNICAL SYSTEM of INTELLIGENCE by RANDALL M. LIVINGSTONE a DISSERTATION Presented To

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NETWORK of KNOWLEDGE: WIKIPEDIA AS a SOCIOTECHNICAL SYSTEM of INTELLIGENCE by RANDALL M. LIVINGSTONE a DISSERTATION Presented To NETWORK OF KNOWLEDGE: WIKIPEDIA AS A SOCIOTECHNICAL SYSTEM OF INTELLIGENCE by RANDALL M. LIVINGSTONE A DISSERTATION Presented to the School of Journalism and Communication and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2012 DISSERTATION APPROVAL PAGE Student: Randall M. Livingstone Title: Network of Knowledge: Wikipedia as a Sociotechnical System of Intelligence This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the School of Journalism and Communication by: Dr. Biswarup Sen Chairperson Dr. Janet Wasko Member Dr. Kim Sheehan Member Dr. Ryan Light Outside Member and Kimberly Andrews Espy Vice President for Research & Innovation/Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded September 2012 ii © 2012 Randall M. Livingstone This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 (United States) License iii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT Randall M. Livingstone Doctor of Philosophy School of Journalism and Communication September 2012 Title: Network of Knowledge: Wikipedia as a Sociotechnical System of Intelligence The purpose of this study was to explore the codependencies of the social and technical structures that yield Wikipedia the website and Wikipedia the community. In doing so, the research investigated the implications of such a sociotechnical system for the maintenance of the project and the emergence of collective intelligence. Using a theoretical framework informed by digital media studies, science and technology studies, and the political economy of communication, this study examined the material and ideological conditions in which Wikipedia has developed. The study’s guiding research questions addressed the nature of Wikipedia’s sociotechnical system and potential for collective intelligence, as well as the historical development of the project’s technical infrastructure and the state of its technology-assisted collaboration. A mainly qualitative multi-method research approach was employed, including document analysis, semi-structured interviewing, and social network analysis. A plethora of documents were carefully selected and examined to explore how and why decisions were made, policies implemented, and technologies adopted on the site. Additionally, 45 interviews were conducted with members of Wikipedia’s technical community to understand the relationships between social and technical aspects of the project and the motivations of programmers who contribute automated tools. Finally, social network iv measures and visualizations were used to interrogate notions of collaboration and make more transparent the centrality of technology to the content creation process. The study revealed that Wikipedia’s technical development has been shaped by the dueling ideologies of the open-source software movement and postindustrial capitalism. Its sociotechnical system features the complex collaboration of human contributors, automated programs, social bureaucracy, and technical protocol, each of which conditions the existence and meaning of the others. In addition, the activity on Wikipedia fits established models of collective intelligence and suggests the emergence of a cyberculture, or culturally informed shared intelligence, unique to the digital media context. Software robots (bots) are central actors in this system and are explored in detail throughout this research. v CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Randall M. Livingstone GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA DEGREES AWARDED: Doctor of Philosophy, Communication and Society, 2012, University of Oregon Master of Arts, Professional Communication, 2004, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Bachelor of Science, Computer Science and English, 2001, Bridgewater State College AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: New/Digital Media Communication Technologies Political Economy of Communication Advertising’s Role in Society PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Graduate Teaching Fellow, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon, 2008-2012 Assistant Director, Ballotti Learning Center, Suffolk University, 2005-2008 Senior Lecturer, Department of English, Suffolk University, 2004-2008 Teaching Associate, Department of English, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 2001-2004 GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS: Lorry I Lokey Scholarship, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon, 2011 vi Arant Scholarship, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon, 2010-2011. Columbia Scholarship, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon, 2009-2011. Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Society, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon, 2010 University Scholarship, Department of English, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 2001-2004 PUBLICATIONS: Santana, A., Livingstone, R. M., & Cho, Y. (in press). Medium matters: Newsreaders’ recall and engagement with online and print newspapers. Newspaper Research Journal. Livingstone, R. M. (2011). Better at life stuff: Consumption, identity, and class in Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 35(3), 210-234. Livingstone, R. M. (2010). Let’s leave the bias to the mainstream media: A Wikipedia community fighting for information neutrality. M/C Journal, 13(6). vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank a number of people who have made this project possible, as well as those who have helped me tremendously throughout my graduate studies. First, a special thanks to my advisor and committee chair, Dr. Bish Sen, who has supported my interest in digital media over the past four years and inspired me to look deeply at its form, function, and impact. I am also greatly appreciative of my other committee members: Dr. Janet Wasko, Dr. Kim Sheehan, and Dr. Ryan Light. Thank you for all of the chats, all of the guidance, and all of the input over the years. Additionally, I would like to thank other faculty and staff at the University of Oregon who have helped me along the way, especially Dr. Leslie Steeves, Dr. Daniel Pope, Dr. Carl Bybee, and Petra Hagen. This project was made possible by the openness and kindness of the bot community on Wikipedia. Yes, these things are part of the project’s mission, but many in the community went above and beyond to help me understand their work and its significance. Thank you to everyone who participated in the study and helped me get the word out. Also, a special thanks to madman, Snowolf, Hellknowz, and the many IRC frequenters who helped by gathering data, interpreting policies, and answering little questions as they came up. Thank you to my friends and colleagues who have sustained and encouraged me through the program at UO, including Brenna Wolf-Monteiro and the rest of my wonderful cohort, Katie Dettman, and Caitlin Mahy. Most of all, my love and appreciation goes out to my family. My mother Barbara, sister Stacey, and brother-in-law Don supported my choice to go back to school, even viii though it took me about as far away from them as it could have. Thank you for your help and support through everything. And to my amazing wife Kimberly, who understands me better than anyone…you are my sunshine. ix For my father, who would have enjoyed this more than anyone. x TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 Wiki 101................................................................................................................. 7 A (Very) Brief History of Wikipedia ..................................................................... 9 Significance of the Study ....................................................................................... 11 Overview ................................................................................................................ 14 II. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS AND LITERATURE REVIEW .................... 16 New/Digital Media Theory .................................................................................... 16 Foundations of Information Theory ................................................................. 16 The Mathematical Theory of Communication ........................................... 17 Cybernetics ................................................................................................ 19 The Development of Computer Hardware and Software ................................ 20 Hardware .................................................................................................... 20 Software ..................................................................................................... 22 Contemporary New Media Theory .................................................................. 23 New Media Form ....................................................................................... 24 Online Engagement .................................................................................... 27 Virtual Communities .................................................................................. 29 Social Networks .................................................................................................... 31 Network Theory and Basic Concepts .............................................................
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