Design Pattern: Space For Lurking

Summary	Lurking is a valid activity when engaging with new social platforms/services, especially when deciding what is a legitimate projection/use of identity. Providing the space and time for acclimatisation to the social rules is an important design consideration.
Status	seed	Confidence	0
details...		Group

Problem

Assessing what are acceptable projections of

identity within social media platforms.

Context

Not understanding the ‘culture’ within a platform can lead to projections of identity which cause alienation or tensions. (Subversion of genres/platforms is fine as long as it’s done knowingly and not out of ignorance)

Solution

Lurking is a valid and important activity when engaging with new social platforms/services, especially when deciding what is a legitimate projection/use of identity. It allows new users to assess the social codes in place before diving in. Spaces where lurking can take place (individuals can see the flow of the culture in a platform but do not have to interact) are essential for social media platforms to allow new members to get a sense of the social norms/codes. This provides parameters for the style in which they project their identity or which facets of their identity they choose to share.

This is also important for elearning facilitators as they come to understand how they could use (appropriate?) a social platform for teaching and learning.

For this to fully work the amount of lurking may need to be significant and coupled with opportunities to engage in testing out behaviour and getting accurate feedback on performance (Wenger – social learning). Similarly, opportunities to articulate and examine the norms of interaction will facilitate new users in becoming sensitive to the new social codes and adapting to them. This situation is analogous to helping International Students to adapt to new (hidden) educational practices (Caroll)

Related Patterns

list other patterns related to this one, under categories such as component, assisting, conflicting, uses this, etc.

Notes, Links and References

Liabilities, potential risks, extensions, expected side-effects

======= Rationale ========
Identification of different types of lurker. Each lurking space demands a different type of social contract or social script. If you want the space to lurk then others then there has to be some way to tag the lurker so that others know what the social script is or the social codes. For example many role play sims in SL do explicitly offer a tag/label to designate why lurking. Or work i areas such as training spaces e.g. using OpenSim before going into SL. Lurking as a legitimate position - tracked and can therefore help to add to statistics. Browsers/lurkers/silent members.
======= END Rationale ========
NOTE: there is also the importance of movement from lurking to participation. One of the issues with discussion fora is that lurkers can remain as lurkers and never be drawn out into participation. There may be a useful pattern that need to be developed on successful participation.

Licensing

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