Comments on: The Ecosystem of Asychronicity

By: jpool

jpool — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:01:14 +0000

Not that they’re exactly parallel, but, for those of us interested in sources for popular consciousness in mid-twentieth century Africa, I think that there’s an interesting analogous dynamic in newspaper discussions. I’m thinking in particular of Jonathan Glassman’s awe-inspiring work, but also Jonathan Reynolds, Kenda Mutongi and Lynn Thomas (as well as, of course, some of my own modest research). There are some obvious difference in these fora, particularly in terms of the ease and speed of response, but I think also some real parallels in terms of a tacking back and forth between a semi-public discussion and numerous preexisting private ones, different forms of authority being asserted, etc.

By: Narya

Narya — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:20:16 +0000

Incidentally, I did like your analysis, which I neglected to mention.

By: Narya

Narya — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:19:24 +0000

I’d take the asynchronous discussions at I Blame the Patriarchy. Though, admittedly, I often skip the comments entirely if I see there are many, and it certainly inhibits me from joining in. I find the posts themselves to be less interesting at Unfogged, which brings up another aspect of this: At some sites–like IBTP–the author’s commentary can stand alone, i.e., I can read the post, and skim or skip or read or add to the comments, as I see fit. My experience at Unfogged was that the posts themselves tended to be less meaty, and the conversation was almost all in the comments. And, there, I found that the in-jokes were much harder to grok for the casual reader. That combo–shorter, less-meaty posts, and relatively insular commentary–tends to keep me away. But YMMV, of course.

By: Doug

Doug — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:23:44 +0000

There’s also the degree of conscious performance involved, which sometimes at Unfogged is considerable. It’s aided there both by the pseudonymity and the history of the place. That doesn’t make it any less fun to read, but when you post there, you also know that you’re playing in front of a tough crowd.

By: Timothy Burke

Timothy Burke — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:13:09 +0000

LJ threads are a really interesting contrast. I think it’s only partly about how the thread is laid out. It’s also about the community that livejournals and some blogs have historically nurtured: much more focused on the personal lives and experiences of individuals, generally more social and more long-term. Every once in a while, a livejournal or highly personal blog will suddenly draw general attention to a particular thread, and it’s always interesting to see how shell-shocked and disturbed that usually leaves the more habitual community of posters and respondents.

The most interesting asynchronous discussions I can think of anywhere are at Unfogged. I usually find myself coming into those late, and often typecast in the role of wet blanket, scold or humorless prat when I do, but damn if they aren’t always fun to read and lurk in. More importantly, watching how they move within a given discussion, about the twists and turns, about the in-jokes, and so on, is just a really great demonstration both of what asynchronous discussions can be and about how daunting they can be if you’re trying to make sense of them without having the experience of participating in them on an ongoing basis.

By: Bob Rehak

Bob Rehak — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:40:17 +0000

There’s a metaphor to be drawn out here about how the various thread contributors compete for control of the thread’s meaning — or at least the priorities and direction of its conversational flow — in much the same manner as the cat and raccoon struggle over the kibble supply. But maybe I’m reaching.

More seriously, do you see the same dynamics of asychrony, consensus, and frustration operating in the threaded discussions of something like LiveJournal? Put more open-endedly, how is the “ecosystem” reconfigured (if at all) by alternative ways of laying out, and enforcing certain patterns upon, online conversation?