Countering underproduction of peer produced goods

Bibliographic Data

ID6443528
AuthorsKaylea Champion (0000-0001-6196-942X, University of Washington, corresponding author), Benjamin Mako Hill (0000-0001-8588-7429, University of Washington)
Year2024
Volume27
Issue9
Pages5132-5150
Publication date2024-05-16
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNew Media & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14614448241248139
OpenAlexW4396959161
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited51

Peer produced goods, such as online knowledge bases and free/libre open source software rely on contributors who often choose their tasks regardless of consumer needs. These goods are susceptible to underproduction : when popular goods are relatively low quality. Although underproduction is a common feature of peer production, very little is known about how to counteract it. We use a detailed longitudinal dataset from English Wikipedia to show that more experienced contributors—including those who contribute without an account—tend to contribute to underproduced goods. A within-person analysis shows that contributors’ efforts shift toward underproduced goods over time. These findings illustrate the value of retaining contributors in peer production, including those contributing without accounts, as a means to counter underproduction

Business · Internet privacy · Computer Science · Knowledge Management and Sharing · Open Source Software Innovations · Wikis in Education and Collaboration

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access