Middle status listlessness in online community: Variation in emoticon usage and network position

Abstract

Online interaction is social activity as well as interpersonal conversation. Since individual can perceive network and they are member of network (group), so they perceive their network position. Status is important for within group interactions. One proposition of communication accommodation theory is that individuals modify their communicative style in response to status differentials and as a means of negotiating social distance. Although many researches tried to focus on the effect of status and online interaction, they fragmentarily concerned linear relationship and only focused the performance of communication. Thus, definition of status is too simplified. In social network setting, we can infer behavioral difference depending on social position on group as well as the act of each individual.

In this study, we explore relationship between status and interaction on online community, by adapting middle-status conformity theory. The theory of middle-status conformity postulates that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between status and the propensity to follow group norms. According to this theory, middle-status actors may be expected to follow group norms more than their high- and low- status counterparts, because middle-status actors have a degree of insecurity and uncertainty in terms of possibly moving up or down within the social order of the group. Therefore, middle-status actors are bound to follow group norms, because they could lose status just easily as they may gain status and following the group norms is the safest (least risky) course of action. We test middle status conformity theory in two online communities, by analyzing user’s post-reply networks and emoticon uses. Using user’s post-reply network information, we calculate centrality scores to define social status of every user, and test statistical correlations with their usage of emoticons. We examine in particular the use of emoticons because the act of using emoticons does not r...