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The Coexistance of Online Communities: An Agent-Based Simulation from an Ecological Perspective

온라인 커뮤니티 간 공존: 생태학적 관점의 에이전트 기반 시뮬레이션

  • Luyang Han (Department of Information Systems and Analytics, National University of Singapore) ;
  • Jungpil Hahn (Department of Information Systems and Analytics, National University of Singapore)
  • Received : 2017.03.15
  • Accepted : 2017.06.26
  • Published : 2017.06.30

Abstract

Online communities have become substantial aspects of people's daily lives. However, only a few communities succeed and attract the majority of users, whereas the vast majority struggle for survival. When various communities coexist, important factors should be identified and examined to maintain attraction and achieve success. The concept of coexistence as been extensively explored in organizational ecology literature. However, given the similarities and differences between online communities and traditional organizations, the direct application of organizational theories to online contexts should be cautiously explored. In this study, we follow the roadmap proposed by Davis et al. (2007) in conducting agent-based modeling and simulation study to develop a novel theory based on the previous literature. In the case of two coexisting communities, we find that community size and participation costs can significantly affect the development of a community. A large community can attract a high number of active members who frequently log in. By contrast, low participation costs can encourage the reading and posting behaviors of members. We also observe the important influence of the distribution of interests on the topic trends of communities. A community composed of a population that focuses on only one topic can quickly converge on the topic regardless of whether the initial topic is broad or focused. This simulation model provides theoretical implications to literature and practical guidance to operators of online communities.

온라인 커뮤니티는 우리 일상생활에서 큰 비중을 차지하고 있다. 수없이 많은 온라인 커뮤니티가 존재하지만, 그 가운데 소수의 커뮤니티만이 다수의 사용자를 끌어들이는 데 성공하고 압도적인 대다수의 커뮤니티는 생존하기 위해 분투하는 롱테일 현상(long tail phenomenon)이 나타나고 있다. 다양한 온라인 커뮤니티가 공존할 수 있고, 실제로 공존하게 하기 위해서는 사용자를 지속적으로 끌어들이고 커뮤니티를 성공시키는 데 중요한 역할을 하는 요인이 무엇인지 이해할 필요가 있다. 공존 문제는 조직생태학 관련 문헌에서 심도 있게 다뤄져 왔다. 그러나 온라인 커뮤니티와 전통적인 조직 사이에 유사점과 함께 차이점도 있다는 점을 감안해 조직 이론을 온라인 세계에 직접 적용할때 유의해야 한다. 본 연구는 Davids et al.(2007)이 제시한 로드맵에 따라 에이전트 기반 모델링 및 시뮬레이션을 실시하여, 선행 연구를 토대로 새로운 이론을 개발하고자 한다. 서로 공존하는 커뮤니티 두 곳을 설정하여 연구를 실시한 결과, 커뮤니티의 규모와 참여 비용이 커뮤니티 발전에 상당한 영향을 미친다는 사실을 알 수 있었다. 커뮤니티가 클수록 자주 접속하는 적극적인 사용자가 더 많이 유입될 수 있다. 한편 참여 비용이 낮을수록 가입자들이 게시물을 읽고 게재하는 활동이 활성화된다. 이와 함께 관심사 분포가 커뮤니티의 주제 트렌드에 중요한 영향을 미친다는 사실도 발견했다. 단일 주제에 집중하는 집단의 경우, 주제가 초기에 광범위했는지 협소했는지 여부와 무관하게 커뮤니티는 신속하게 해당 주제 쪽으로 모여들 수 있다. 이 같은 시뮬레이션 모델은 연구문헌에 이론적인 시사점을 제시하는 동시에, 온라인 커뮤니티 운영자들에게도 실질적인 지침을 제공해 준다.

Keywords

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