A Dynamic and Multilayered Examination of Comment Networks in a Crowdsourcing Challenge Community

Abstract

This study examines how participants of crowdsourcing challenges (ideators) provide comments to one another under the dual community forces of collaboration and competition. Content analysis reveals comment types with various degrees of cooperativeness and self-interestedness. Based on comment-sending patterns, clustering analysis unveils ideators’ different roles in the communities: endorsers, self-promoters, and contributors. Results of longitudinal network analysis on four layers of comment networks present nuanced interaction patterns such as reciprocity, inertia, and homophily. Results suggest that active contribution tends to receive fair returns from the community. Pairs of ideators tend to share reciprocated comments, regardless of the comment types. Therefore, to gain substantial information, ideators should take the initiative and contribute substantially to peer competitors. Moreover, ideators tend to maintain existing habits of comment-giving. Ideators with similar ideas share coopetitive relationships through both cooperative and self-interested comments.