Dynamics of the social construction of knowledge: an empirical study of Zhihu in China
Abstract This study examined how the knowledge market promotes knowledge construction on question-and-answer (Q&A) websites. Data were collected from Zhihu, one of the largest Q&A sites in China. Hierarchical linear modeling was employed to estimate the dynamics of information accumulation,...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2022-06-01
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| Series: | EPJ Data Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-022-00346-6 |
| _version_ | 1811256970224599040 |
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| author | Lun Zhang Yong-Ning Li Tai-Quan Peng Ye Wu |
| author_facet | Lun Zhang Yong-Ning Li Tai-Quan Peng Ye Wu |
| author_sort | Lun Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This study examined how the knowledge market promotes knowledge construction on question-and-answer (Q&A) websites. Data were collected from Zhihu, one of the largest Q&A sites in China. Hierarchical linear modeling was employed to estimate the dynamics of information accumulation, that is, the provision of informative content as factual construction. By employing information accumulation as the objective measure of knowledge construction, we determined that online knowledge construction was facilitated by a competitive marketplace of ideas. In addition, participation, temporal, and discourse features affected the dynamics of information accumulation. In specific, active users contributed significantly less to information accumulation than did ordinary users. Information accumulation shows a naturally decaying process represented as a function of answer order. The time interval between answers at the two preceding time points reduced the informativeness of answers at the subsequent time point. Answers with a higher readability score reduced the informativeness of subsequent answers. The results indicate that knowledge construction on Q&A sites unfolds as a process of mass collaboration among users. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T17:50:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c392fce0573d43fb96f0a52c5013885d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2193-1127 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T17:50:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | EPJ Data Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-c392fce0573d43fb96f0a52c5013885d2022-12-22T03:22:32ZengSpringerOpenEPJ Data Science2193-11272022-06-0111111810.1140/epjds/s13688-022-00346-6Dynamics of the social construction of knowledge: an empirical study of Zhihu in ChinaLun Zhang0Yong-Ning Li1Tai-Quan Peng2Ye Wu3School of Arts and Communication, Beijing Normal UniversitySchool of Systems Science, Beijing Normal UniversityDepartment of Communication, Michigan State UniversityComputational Communication Research Center, Beijing Normal UniversityAbstract This study examined how the knowledge market promotes knowledge construction on question-and-answer (Q&A) websites. Data were collected from Zhihu, one of the largest Q&A sites in China. Hierarchical linear modeling was employed to estimate the dynamics of information accumulation, that is, the provision of informative content as factual construction. By employing information accumulation as the objective measure of knowledge construction, we determined that online knowledge construction was facilitated by a competitive marketplace of ideas. In addition, participation, temporal, and discourse features affected the dynamics of information accumulation. In specific, active users contributed significantly less to information accumulation than did ordinary users. Information accumulation shows a naturally decaying process represented as a function of answer order. The time interval between answers at the two preceding time points reduced the informativeness of answers at the subsequent time point. Answers with a higher readability score reduced the informativeness of subsequent answers. The results indicate that knowledge construction on Q&A sites unfolds as a process of mass collaboration among users.https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-022-00346-6Mass collaborationMarketplace of ideasKnowledge construction |
| spellingShingle | Lun Zhang Yong-Ning Li Tai-Quan Peng Ye Wu Dynamics of the social construction of knowledge: an empirical study of Zhihu in China EPJ Data Science Mass collaboration Marketplace of ideas Knowledge construction |
| title | Dynamics of the social construction of knowledge: an empirical study of Zhihu in China |
| title_full | Dynamics of the social construction of knowledge: an empirical study of Zhihu in China |
| title_fullStr | Dynamics of the social construction of knowledge: an empirical study of Zhihu in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamics of the social construction of knowledge: an empirical study of Zhihu in China |
| title_short | Dynamics of the social construction of knowledge: an empirical study of Zhihu in China |
| title_sort | dynamics of the social construction of knowledge an empirical study of zhihu in china |
| topic | Mass collaboration Marketplace of ideas Knowledge construction |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-022-00346-6 |
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