Lurker
Encyclopedia
In Internet culture, a lurker is a person who reads discussions on a message board, newsgroup
, chatroom, file sharing
, social networking site, listening to people in VOIP calls such as Skype
and Ventrilo
or other interactive system, but rarely or never participates actively. Research indicates that "lurkers make up over 90% of online groups" .
Lack of trust represents one of the reasons explaining lurking behavior .
were often accessed by a single phone line (frequently in someone's home). There was an expectation that those who used a bulletin board would contribute to its content by uploading files and posting comments. Lurkers were viewed negatively, and might be barred from access by the sysop
if they did not contribute anything but kept the phone line tied up for extended periods.
By contrast, many modern Internet communities advise newbie
s to lurk for some time to get a feel for the specific culture and etiquette
of the community, lest they make an inappropriate or redundant comment, ask a Frequently Asked Question
, or incite a flame war. This leads to the tongue-in-cheek
command to "lurk more". The verb to "de-lurk" means to start contributing actively to a community having been a lurker previously.
There are also some who lurk on a forum habitually, and rarely, if ever, contribute. It is generally difficult to guess how many such lurkers are present, due to their silence. In flame-wars, a participant who is losing an argument will sometimes claim to receive email support from lurkers, which may be unverifiably true, or a form of sockpuppetry
. This inspired Jo Walton
to write a filk on the subject entitled "The Lurkers Support Me in Email" .
Lurking is not entirely free of its prior negative connotation from its BBS roots: Lack of participation may be validated by a user's post count, which would indicate lurking tendencies if they have been around for a while with low participation. Having a lower post count in a forum may dissuade lurkers from participating in an active part of the forum populated with higher post-count users as a self-imposed form of rankism
. If someone with a lower post count (whether a lurker or newbie) has a genuine question that is germane to the discussion and hasn't been considered yet, but is not adding to the active discussion of veteran participants, they may simply be ignored even if they are not breaking any other rules. Users may "pad" their post counts to avoid this appearance while still lurking as a whole, or enter into less heated topics until others start to recognize them.
More recent examples of lurking can be found where parents or friends use social networking sites such as Facebook
and Twitter
to lurk, or "watch over" their children's or friends social activities without directly engaging in the social aspects of the site themselves.
Specifically, Nonnecke and Preece compare technical support discussion lists to health support discussion lists (DLs). In this comparison, "the differences in mean lurking levels between the health and software-support DLs is significant." The percentage of lurkers in health support DLs was nearly half of the percentage of tech support DL lurkers, and the difference in topic and subject matter may be responsible.
The size of the community (number of members) can also affect the amount of lurking that takes place. The data from Nonnecke and Preece show that as the number of members in a discussion list rises, the percentage of lurkers also rises. However, this may actually be a desired effect, as "high posting levels could create chaos," within the community if every member was posting daily.
Newsgroup
A usenet newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users in different locations. The term may be confusing to some, because it is usually a discussion group. Newsgroups are technically distinct from, but functionally similar to, discussion forums on...
, chatroom, file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
, social networking site, listening to people in VOIP calls such as Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
and Ventrilo
Ventrilo
Ventrilo is a proprietary VoIP software which includes text chat.The Ventrilo client and server are both available as freeware for use with fewer than 8 people on the same server . The server software is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, or Unix variants such as Linux, Kopi, Solaris,...
or other interactive system, but rarely or never participates actively. Research indicates that "lurkers make up over 90% of online groups" .
Lack of trust represents one of the reasons explaining lurking behavior .
History
The term dates back to the mid-1980s when bulletin board systems (BBSes)Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
were often accessed by a single phone line (frequently in someone's home). There was an expectation that those who used a bulletin board would contribute to its content by uploading files and posting comments. Lurkers were viewed negatively, and might be barred from access by the sysop
SysOp
A sysop is an administrator of a multi-user computer system, such as a bulletin board system or an online service virtual community. It may also be used to refer to administrators of other Internet-based network services....
if they did not contribute anything but kept the phone line tied up for extended periods.
By contrast, many modern Internet communities advise newbie
Newbie
Newbie or noob is a slang term for a novice or newcomer, or somebody inexperienced in any profession or activity. Contemporary use can particularly refer to a beginner or new user of computers, often concerning Internet activity, such as online gaming or Linux use...
s to lurk for some time to get a feel for the specific culture and etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
of the community, lest they make an inappropriate or redundant comment, ask a Frequently Asked Question
FAQ
Frequently asked questions are listed questions and answers, all supposed to be commonly asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. "FAQ" is usually pronounced as an initialism rather than an acronym, but an acronym form does exist. Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual...
, or incite a flame war. This leads to the tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
command to "lurk more". The verb to "de-lurk" means to start contributing actively to a community having been a lurker previously.
There are also some who lurk on a forum habitually, and rarely, if ever, contribute. It is generally difficult to guess how many such lurkers are present, due to their silence. In flame-wars, a participant who is losing an argument will sometimes claim to receive email support from lurkers, which may be unverifiably true, or a form of sockpuppetry
Sockpuppet (Internet)
A sockpuppet is an online identity used for purposes of deception. The term—a reference to the manipulation of a simple hand puppet made from a sock—originally referred to a false identity assumed by a member of an internet community who spoke to, or about himself while pretending to be another...
. This inspired Jo Walton
Jo Walton
Jo Walton is a Welsh-Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer and poet. She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2002 and the World Fantasy award for her novel Tooth and Claw in 2004. Her novel Ha'penny was a co-winner of the 2008 Prometheus Award...
to write a filk on the subject entitled "The Lurkers Support Me in Email" .
Lurking is not entirely free of its prior negative connotation from its BBS roots: Lack of participation may be validated by a user's post count, which would indicate lurking tendencies if they have been around for a while with low participation. Having a lower post count in a forum may dissuade lurkers from participating in an active part of the forum populated with higher post-count users as a self-imposed form of rankism
Rankism
Rankism is "abusive, discriminatory, or exploitative behavior towards people because of their rank in a particular hierarchy".Rank-based abuse underlies many other phenomena such as bullying, racism, sexism, and homophobia. The term "rankism" was coined by physicist, educator, and citizen diplomat...
. If someone with a lower post count (whether a lurker or newbie) has a genuine question that is germane to the discussion and hasn't been considered yet, but is not adding to the active discussion of veteran participants, they may simply be ignored even if they are not breaking any other rules. Users may "pad" their post counts to avoid this appearance while still lurking as a whole, or enter into less heated topics until others start to recognize them.
More recent examples of lurking can be found where parents or friends use social networking sites such as Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
to lurk, or "watch over" their children's or friends social activities without directly engaging in the social aspects of the site themselves.
Ethical implications
Researchers who study online communities (e.g.) grapple with the potential negative implications of lurking. Specifically, the act of lurking, or "completely unobtrusive observation" may allow individuals to gain an understanding into how individuals interact online by reading their posts or chats. However, if the researcher's presence is detectable and individuals are able to see that someone is lurking rather than participating, they may feel that they are being spied on . Additionally, ethical issues may be apparent if lurking researchers "harvest" or take posts/entries featured in chatrooms/online journals without asking for the individual's consent. As a result, individuals in online communities may feel that they are experiencing private interactions, but a lurker may see it as a public space for observation .Community factors
Differing factors between communities can also create different lurking behaviors and patterns. Nonnecke and Preece show that topic, size, and traffic level all can affect the amount of lurking that occurs in a community.Specifically, Nonnecke and Preece compare technical support discussion lists to health support discussion lists (DLs). In this comparison, "the differences in mean lurking levels between the health and software-support DLs is significant." The percentage of lurkers in health support DLs was nearly half of the percentage of tech support DL lurkers, and the difference in topic and subject matter may be responsible.
The size of the community (number of members) can also affect the amount of lurking that takes place. The data from Nonnecke and Preece show that as the number of members in a discussion list rises, the percentage of lurkers also rises. However, this may actually be a desired effect, as "high posting levels could create chaos," within the community if every member was posting daily.
See also
- LeechLeech (computing)In computing and specifically Internet, a leech or leecher is one who benefits, usually deliberately, from others' information or effort but does not offer anything in return, or makes only token offerings in an attempt to avoid being called a leech...
- Online participationOnline participationSeveral motivations lead people to contribute to virtual communities. Various online media , are becoming ever greater knowledge-sharing resources. Many of these communities are highly cooperative and establish their own unique culture...
- Parasitism (social offense)Parasitism (social offense)Social parasitism is a charge that is leveled against a group or class in society which is considered to be detrimental to the whole by analogy with biologic parasitism .-General concept:...
- 1% rule (Internet culture)
- AstroturfingAstroturfingAstroturfing is a form of advocacy in support of a political, organizational, or corporate agenda, designed to give the appearance of a "grassroots" movement. The goal of such campaigns is to disguise the efforts of a political and/or commercial entity as an independent public reaction to some...
External links
- Participation Inequality: Lurkers vs. Contributors in Internet Communities – Article with several examples of the large percentage of users who lurk and guidelines for encouraging more participation.