Examining Collective Memory Building in Wikipedia: A Multilevel Network Approach

This study interprets Wikipedia as a memory place where independent contributors discuss and negotiate the meanings of past events in a collaborative way. We examine how interconnections between high-impact events lead to the differential patterns of collective memory building. The results show that the presence of a direct network tie between two events is related to a smaller difference in the patterns of collective memory building among Wikipedia users. In addition, a higher degree of structural equivalence between two events makes them more similar in terms of the patterns of collective memory building. Our findings reveal that the range of network effects is not confined within the local substructure but can extend to the global level as well. The results also confirm that Wikipedia editors will refer to the editing patterns of the events that have direct links or occupy similar structural positions with those they intend to contribute to. \

Understanding the effects of topic factors and threat exposure on motivation to participate in knowledge artefacts: The case of Wikipedia

Wikipedia’s unique feature that prompts voluntary knowledge creation makes it relevant for researchers to examine what motivates editors to contribute to the platform when there are no obvious compensations that they could receive in exchange of their efforts. Earlier studies have identified various encouraging factors of Wikipedia participation (e.g., fun, ideology, community aspect). In this dissertation, I undertook a psychology perspective and examined the issue with a focus on person-object-environment paradigm that has not been previously studied within the context of Wikipedia motivation. This paradigm explains the human behavior as a product of a person’s interest-oriented relationship with an object and with her/his environment. The aim of this dissertation was then to investigate motivation to work with Wikipedia (in terms of willingness to contribute to the articles and production of article measures) in relation to topic factors (object) and threat exposure (environment). Two laboratory and one Wikipedia textual analysis studies suggested that general (i.e., topic familiarity and controversiality) and specific characteristics (i.e., sentiment and psychological content) of a topic played significant roles in Wikipedia motivation. Specifically, working with familiar and controversial topics that had sociopolitical references increased engagement to Wikipedia articles. Results also suggested that Wikipedia community produced article measures (e.g., longer articles) related to content with both positive and negative sentiments. A closer examination on psychological content showed that affective (positive and negative emotion) and drive states (achievement, reward, power, affiliation and risk) were the best predictors of article production. With regards to threat exposure, although threat manipulations induced in the forms of mortality salience and uncertainty salience led to negative mood states, they did not result in any changes in people’s willingness to work with the articles. Overall, the findings suggest that Wikipedia motivation was significantly influenced by general familiar and controversial characteristics of the presented topic as well as positive/negative polarity and specific psychological orientations of the content. Threat-evoking environmental cues during Wikipedia use, on the other hand, did not seem to affect the motivation levels. These results support the human-oriented aspect of Wikipedia platform that is distinctively fostered by editors’ psychological, social and emotional interests

The collective memory of natural disasters: The case study of Vaia storm

openIl ricordo di un disastro naturale condiviso da un gruppo sociale e determinante l’identità di questo è una forma di memoria collettiva. Vaia fu una tempesta che nel 2018 colpì i boschi dell’arco alpino italiano comportando la devastazione di 41 mila ettari di foreste. In questo studio qualitativo, di carattere esplorativo, ci si è chiesto quale sia la forma della memoria collettiva della tempesta Vaia. Sono stati raccolti i contributi di tredici persone che hanno vissuto il disastro, che ci hanno lavorato, che l’hanno studiato, tramite la forma di interviste semistrutturate; i dati ottenuti sono stati poi analizzati attraverso il metodo dell’analisi tematica. I risultati emersi delineano quattro macro-temi: la memoria sensoriale della tempesta Vaia, le emozioni generate da questa, la significazione e narrazione della catastrofe, le commemorazioni per il disastro. Questi quattro temi sono organizzati in due ordini interpretativi, uno strettamente legato ai giorni di Vaia nel 2018, e un secondo livello associato, invece, all’evoluzione e all’elaborazione della memoria della tempesta nel corso degli anni. Viene messo in luce, inoltre, che Vaia è classificabile come cultural trauma, poiché coinvolge e mette in crisi l’identità collettiva; segue poi il collegamento del disastro con le “Psychoterratic” mental health syndromes e le emozioni ad esso legate. Lo studio si conclude con una riflessione riguardo alla permanenza e stabilità della memoria nel tempo, approfondendo il ruolo dell’ambiente e del bosco come memoriale, aspetto che viene discusso alla luce dei recenti sviluppi nell’ambito dei memory studies