My work focuses on how various forms of exchange are produced and maintained on the Internet, and more broadly, in computer-mediated exchanges.
My current research topics include: (1) the formation of trust and cooperation in interpersonal online interactions, (2) the role of information as the object of social exchange, (3) the emergence of social exchange networks, and (4) the production of collective goods and the role of social incentives in online environments. Address: 305A South Hall Berkeley, CA 94720-4600
BACKGROUND As access barriers to in-person abortion care increase due to legal restrictions and C... more BACKGROUND As access barriers to in-person abortion care increase due to legal restrictions and COVID-19–related disruptions, individuals may be turning to the internet for information and services on out-of-clinic medication abortions. Google searches allow us to explore timely population-level interest in this topic and assess its implications. OBJECTIVE We examined the extent to which people searched for out-of-clinic medication abortions in the United States in 2020 through 3 initial search terms: home abortion, self abortion, and buy abortion pill online. METHODS Using the Google Trends website, we estimated the relative search index (RSI)—a comparative measure of search popularity—for each initial search term and determined trends and its peak value between January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021. RSI scores also helped to identify the 10 states where these searches were most popular. We developed a master list of top search queries for each of the initial search terms using the ...
The security of computer networks and systems is a growing and ongoing set of concerns for nation... more The security of computer networks and systems is a growing and ongoing set of concerns for nation states, corporations, and individuals. The responses to these concerns typically span two areas: the training and recruitment of cybersecurity professionals, and the design and development of secure computing infrastructure. In addition to these two areas, we argue that effective practices of cybersecurity are premised upon social relationships of trust formed within communities of cybersecurity professionals. In this paper, we present preliminary work studying the practices of network security professionals, drawing from survey and ethnographic research across three separate kinds of attacks upon networks.First, we show how trust relationships and communities formed in professional communities of network operators are leveraged in responses to distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks. These relationships allow for rapid coordination during attacks, and these communities provide spa...
Assessing the trustworthiness of others is an essential part of the daily interactions that take ... more Assessing the trustworthiness of others is an essential part of the daily interactions that take place between individuals in various social settings. The level of uncertainty and the nature of what is at stake affect the risks involved in a given interaction situation. Furthermore, the mechanisms that are put in place to help individuals assess the trustworthiness of others typically vary according to the levels of uncertainty and risk in the setting. As it becomes progressively more common to interact and engage in exchanges using computer-mediated communication systems such as the Internet, the anonymity of individuals and the reduction in available social cues increase the risks as well as the possibilities for misjudging trustworthiness and thus increase the possibilities for significant loss or even harm. In this chapter we examine the factors that individuals use when determining the trustworthiness of exchange partners who provide either goods or services in online environme...
This chapter describes the research and academic focus of the UC Berkeley School of Information, ... more This chapter describes the research and academic focus of the UC Berkeley School of Information, as well as a statement of ongoing collaboration with Sapienza University in Rome, Italy. Multidisciplinary collaboration is a core part of the guiding philosophy and purpose of the School of Information. In the following sections we describe the structure of our academic programs, focal research areas, and existing collaborations with other Universities and programs around the world. Finally, we close with a statement about our commitment to ongoing cooperation and collaboration with Sapienza University.
Emerson (1962) analyzed power explicitly in relational terms as a function of the dependence of o... more Emerson (1962) analyzed power explicitly in relational terms as a function of the dependence of one actor on another. He later used this general formulation to provide a specific definition of power within an exchange relation (Emerson 1972a, 1972b), ...
In this paper, we investigate the change in the online landscape of blogging in the Scandinavian ... more In this paper, we investigate the change in the online landscape of blogging in the Scandinavian context through a mixed methods approach. The literature on blogs has emphasized the necessity of learning about why and how people blog as it can help us understand how information is created and shared online (Chau & Xu, 2012). Despite the rich literature on blogs, few studies have addressed the change in the landscape and in the paths of blogger participation. To gain a broader view on the perceptions of the future of blogging, we draw on findings from a focus group interview and in-depth one-on-one interviews with longterm bloggers as well as a blog reader survey. By organizing our findings with Schmidt’s (2007) analytical framework, our research furthers knowledge on how the changes in external expectations such as commercial entities and blog communities affect the rules and relations of bloggers. We argue that the growth and shifting landscape of blogging as core type of technolog...
Many digitally mediated peer-production systems allow participants to define their own activities... more Many digitally mediated peer-production systems allow participants to define their own activities. The challenge in such systems, however, lies in retaining members beyond the first few interactions. To address this problem we must understand who these users are and why they begin to contribute. Importantly, there is scant empirical evidence on how motivations are associated with different trajectories of participation for new participants. Our study addresses this gap by combining a survey of new Wikipedia editors’ motivations with an exploratory analysis of the editors’ activity logs. Using clustering techniques to identify prototypical activity profiles from log data, we observe what motivations are associated with which prototypical activities. We find that new editors’ motivations are predictive of their future activity. In particular our results indicate that reputation, social, enjoyment, and obligation motives differ among editor activity clusters.
Compared to organizations in other sectors, civil society organizations (CSOs) are particularly v... more Compared to organizations in other sectors, civil society organizations (CSOs) are particularly vulnerable to security and privacy threats, as they lack adequate resources and expertise to defend themselves. At the same time, their security needs and practices have not gained much attention among researchers, and existing solutions designed for the average users do not consider the contexts in which CSO employees operate. As part of our preliminary work, we conducted an anonymous online survey with 102 CSO employees to collect information about their perceived risks of different security and privacy threats, and their self-reported mitigation strategies. The design of our preliminary survey accounted for the unique requirements of our target population by establishing trust with respondents, using anonymity-preserving incentive strategies, and distributing the survey with the help of a trusted intermediary. However, by carefully examining our methods and the feedback received from r...
Proceedings of the 18th ACM Conference Companion on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing, 2015
A number of technological platforms, that have come to be known as the "sharing economy"... more A number of technological platforms, that have come to be known as the "sharing economy" or "collaborative consumption," are disrupting established industries with new decentralized peer-to-peer marketplaces. While peer-to-peer exchange and co-use practices are a relatively new research area, they are rapidly developing in both commercial and nonprofit variants. In this session, we bring together people from different disciplines to explore these issues, and to present future directions for research on sharing economies in the CSCW community. Our aim is to widen the "sharing economy" debate in CSCW. In order to better situate this stream of work within CSCW, we will connect "sharing economy" research to broader topical issues and concerns, such as networked coordination of peer-to-peer activities and the future of work and labor.
BACKGROUND As access barriers to in-person abortion care increase due to legal restrictions and C... more BACKGROUND As access barriers to in-person abortion care increase due to legal restrictions and COVID-19–related disruptions, individuals may be turning to the internet for information and services on out-of-clinic medication abortions. Google searches allow us to explore timely population-level interest in this topic and assess its implications. OBJECTIVE We examined the extent to which people searched for out-of-clinic medication abortions in the United States in 2020 through 3 initial search terms: home abortion, self abortion, and buy abortion pill online. METHODS Using the Google Trends website, we estimated the relative search index (RSI)—a comparative measure of search popularity—for each initial search term and determined trends and its peak value between January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021. RSI scores also helped to identify the 10 states where these searches were most popular. We developed a master list of top search queries for each of the initial search terms using the ...
The security of computer networks and systems is a growing and ongoing set of concerns for nation... more The security of computer networks and systems is a growing and ongoing set of concerns for nation states, corporations, and individuals. The responses to these concerns typically span two areas: the training and recruitment of cybersecurity professionals, and the design and development of secure computing infrastructure. In addition to these two areas, we argue that effective practices of cybersecurity are premised upon social relationships of trust formed within communities of cybersecurity professionals. In this paper, we present preliminary work studying the practices of network security professionals, drawing from survey and ethnographic research across three separate kinds of attacks upon networks.First, we show how trust relationships and communities formed in professional communities of network operators are leveraged in responses to distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks. These relationships allow for rapid coordination during attacks, and these communities provide spa...
Assessing the trustworthiness of others is an essential part of the daily interactions that take ... more Assessing the trustworthiness of others is an essential part of the daily interactions that take place between individuals in various social settings. The level of uncertainty and the nature of what is at stake affect the risks involved in a given interaction situation. Furthermore, the mechanisms that are put in place to help individuals assess the trustworthiness of others typically vary according to the levels of uncertainty and risk in the setting. As it becomes progressively more common to interact and engage in exchanges using computer-mediated communication systems such as the Internet, the anonymity of individuals and the reduction in available social cues increase the risks as well as the possibilities for misjudging trustworthiness and thus increase the possibilities for significant loss or even harm. In this chapter we examine the factors that individuals use when determining the trustworthiness of exchange partners who provide either goods or services in online environme...
This chapter describes the research and academic focus of the UC Berkeley School of Information, ... more This chapter describes the research and academic focus of the UC Berkeley School of Information, as well as a statement of ongoing collaboration with Sapienza University in Rome, Italy. Multidisciplinary collaboration is a core part of the guiding philosophy and purpose of the School of Information. In the following sections we describe the structure of our academic programs, focal research areas, and existing collaborations with other Universities and programs around the world. Finally, we close with a statement about our commitment to ongoing cooperation and collaboration with Sapienza University.
Emerson (1962) analyzed power explicitly in relational terms as a function of the dependence of o... more Emerson (1962) analyzed power explicitly in relational terms as a function of the dependence of one actor on another. He later used this general formulation to provide a specific definition of power within an exchange relation (Emerson 1972a, 1972b), ...
In this paper, we investigate the change in the online landscape of blogging in the Scandinavian ... more In this paper, we investigate the change in the online landscape of blogging in the Scandinavian context through a mixed methods approach. The literature on blogs has emphasized the necessity of learning about why and how people blog as it can help us understand how information is created and shared online (Chau & Xu, 2012). Despite the rich literature on blogs, few studies have addressed the change in the landscape and in the paths of blogger participation. To gain a broader view on the perceptions of the future of blogging, we draw on findings from a focus group interview and in-depth one-on-one interviews with longterm bloggers as well as a blog reader survey. By organizing our findings with Schmidt’s (2007) analytical framework, our research furthers knowledge on how the changes in external expectations such as commercial entities and blog communities affect the rules and relations of bloggers. We argue that the growth and shifting landscape of blogging as core type of technolog...
Many digitally mediated peer-production systems allow participants to define their own activities... more Many digitally mediated peer-production systems allow participants to define their own activities. The challenge in such systems, however, lies in retaining members beyond the first few interactions. To address this problem we must understand who these users are and why they begin to contribute. Importantly, there is scant empirical evidence on how motivations are associated with different trajectories of participation for new participants. Our study addresses this gap by combining a survey of new Wikipedia editors’ motivations with an exploratory analysis of the editors’ activity logs. Using clustering techniques to identify prototypical activity profiles from log data, we observe what motivations are associated with which prototypical activities. We find that new editors’ motivations are predictive of their future activity. In particular our results indicate that reputation, social, enjoyment, and obligation motives differ among editor activity clusters.
Compared to organizations in other sectors, civil society organizations (CSOs) are particularly v... more Compared to organizations in other sectors, civil society organizations (CSOs) are particularly vulnerable to security and privacy threats, as they lack adequate resources and expertise to defend themselves. At the same time, their security needs and practices have not gained much attention among researchers, and existing solutions designed for the average users do not consider the contexts in which CSO employees operate. As part of our preliminary work, we conducted an anonymous online survey with 102 CSO employees to collect information about their perceived risks of different security and privacy threats, and their self-reported mitigation strategies. The design of our preliminary survey accounted for the unique requirements of our target population by establishing trust with respondents, using anonymity-preserving incentive strategies, and distributing the survey with the help of a trusted intermediary. However, by carefully examining our methods and the feedback received from r...
Proceedings of the 18th ACM Conference Companion on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing, 2015
A number of technological platforms, that have come to be known as the "sharing economy"... more A number of technological platforms, that have come to be known as the "sharing economy" or "collaborative consumption," are disrupting established industries with new decentralized peer-to-peer marketplaces. While peer-to-peer exchange and co-use practices are a relatively new research area, they are rapidly developing in both commercial and nonprofit variants. In this session, we bring together people from different disciplines to explore these issues, and to present future directions for research on sharing economies in the CSCW community. Our aim is to widen the "sharing economy" debate in CSCW. In order to better situate this stream of work within CSCW, we will connect "sharing economy" research to broader topical issues and concerns, such as networked coordination of peer-to-peer activities and the future of work and labor.
Promoting Research in Social Media and Public Health (PRISM), 2022
Social media offers an accessible option for health education and experience sharing, yet may exp... more Social media offers an accessible option for health education and experience sharing, yet may expose users to health mis-information. As cannabis legalization gains wider acceptance across most U.S. states, many people are turning to social media to find information about cannabis. We interviewed cannabis retail staff (budtenders) about their emerging professional role identities and use of social media for cannabis education and information. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via remote video chat from March 2021-February 2022, a period when social exchange was primarily online in response to COVID precautions, but many cannabis dispensary retail spaces were allowed to operate face-to-face as essential businesses. We asked participants about their social media habits, evaluation of trustworthiness of content, and its applicability to customer interactions. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analyses. Budtender participants (ages 22-65, 78% female) expressed tension in evaluating cannabis social media information with respect to discerning commercial advertising vs. educational knowledge sharing intents. Several budtenders served as content creators for their dispensaries. Trust was placed in brands and creators with known histories within the cannabis economy and with relationships that were brokered in face-to-face contexts. Budtenders would prefer education based in scientific research, but it is not found on social media easily. Major barriers to quality educational content on social media is due to restrictive and opaque content moderation of cannabis content.
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