Observation and Analysis of Social Machines

Observation and Analysis of Social Machines

Markus Luczak-Roesch Web and Internet Science Group

University of Southampton @mluczak | mail@markus-luczak.de

On the market of data analysis methods we are the customer.

Image source: http://mrg.bz/uzjgr8

Social Machines?

•  Understanding socio-technical systems at the interface of •  their intended problem solving

capabilities and •  the social interaction they

support.

•  Derive indicators for the success of Social Machines and their underpinning in system components.

Image source: http://www.onnai.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/social_machine_mkl2.gif

Zooniverse

Two paths to science

Talk and Task participation Ta

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ontri

butio

ns

Classifications

Participation patterns

0  

2  

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8  

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20  

1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31  

Ac#v

e  users  in  %  

Month  since  registra#on  

Project  A  

Project  B  

Project  C  

Participant X

Part. Y

Ecosystem effects

PH  

GZ  

SF  

NN  

CC  

SG  

SW  

PF  

AP  

Linguistic change

Project initial 10% most recent 10% PH transit, star, day, aph,

look, one, planet, like, possibl, dip

day, transit, httparchive. . . , possibl, star, kid, dip, look, planet, like

SF like, look, fish, sea, scallop, thing, imag, right, star, left

corallinealga, anemon, object, hermitcrab, bryozoan, stalkedtun, shrimp, left, cerianthid, sanddollar

NN field, record, one, use, enter, get, work, can, specimen, button

like, field, record, date, name, can, click, look, get, label

Linguistic change

Project initial 10% most recent 10% PH transit, star, day, aph,

look, one, planet, like, possibl, dip

day, transit, httparchive. . . , possibl, star, kid, dip, look, planet, like

SF like, look, fish, sea, scallop, thing, imag, right, star, left

corallinealga, anemon, object, hermitcrab, bryozoan, stalkedtun, shrimp, left, cerianthid, sanddollar

NN field, record, one, use, enter, get, work, can, specimen, button

like, field, record, date, name, can, click, look, get, label

Coordination and annotation Microposts Science

Help Chat

PH SG SW NN GZ CC PF SF AP WS PH SG SW NN GZ CC PF SF AP WS

PH SG SW NN GZ CC PF SF AP WS PH SG SW NN GZ CC PF SF AP WS

91% 2

0

6

4

10

8

2

0

6

4

10

8

Voc

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shift

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RE-TRACE INFORMATION FLOWS TO CAPTURE SOCIO-TECHNICAL PROBLEM SOLVING

Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Minard.png

Information flows in Citizen Science

Information flows in Citizen Science

Information flows in Citizen Science

Information flows in Citizen Science

Information flows in Citizen Science

Social Machine algorithms as cascades of information

•  They emerge.

•  They branch and merge.

•  They may be(come) undesired.

•  They die.

M1

M2 M3

FROM SYSTEM SNAPSHOTS TO LONGITUDINAL STUDIES

A footer

Observing Wikipedia The growth in edits (x), discussions (y) and Wikipedians (bubble

radius) of Wikiprojects based on their root project page

Wikipedia: Past, Present, Future

Synergistic to the Web’s Growth, Wikipedia has evolved from a resource of �documents, to data, and to people. �

�Wikipedia continues to enrol and mobilise people and technology. �

The evolution of Wikipedia is part of a complex and fluid�eco-system of social machines.

Understanding Wikipedia involves studying it as a system in and of itself, �

and as an actor in the in the growing and re-configuring Web.

Interactions Beyond Wikipedia

•  Flows of information and interactions are the traces of socio-technical problem solving

•  Social Machines require observational and longitudinal analysis

Markus Luczak-Roesch

mail@markus-luczak.de

www.markus-luczak.de

@mluczak