Becoming Wikipedian: transformation of participation in a collaborative online encyclopedia

Traditional activities change in surprising ways when computermediated communication becomes a component of the activity system. In this descriptive study, we leverage two perspectives on social activity to understand the experiences of individuals who became active collaborators in Wikipedia, a prolific, cooperatively-authored online encyclopedia. Legitimate peripheral participation provides a lens for understanding participation in a community as an adaptable process that evolves over time. We use ideas from activity theory as a framework to describe our results. Finally, we describe how activity on the Wikipedia stands in striking contrast to traditional publishing and suggests a new paradigm for collaborative systems. Categories and Subject Descriptors J.7 [Computer Applications]: Computers in Other Systems – publishing. General Terms Design, Human Factors Keywords Wiki, Wikipedia, Community, Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Activity Theory

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: GROUP
• Authors: Susan L. Bryant, Andrea Forte, Amy Bruckman
• Keywords: Activity System, Activity Theory, GROUP 2005, Legitimate Peripheral Participation