Formalizing informal social behavior - developing a visual tool to support collaborative discussions

In technological development in the area of e-participation in-group equality is taken for granted. However, inequality in online communication is just as prominent as in other social contexts. To research the effects of starting from the presupposition of inequality we have developed a groupware for discussions. Based on democratic meeting techniques and social media it takes the form of a strategic game. The score within the game reflect user activity and the reactions to the activity in a dynamic way. Existing groupware and Internet forums available share the measurement of user activity but their evaluation systems are hidden from the user and not open to change. Instead, our system offers many reaction mechanisms that all add to the score for a user that can be seen as the expression of the user’s status. The calculation and weighing mechanisms are open to inspection and change by the users. Hierarchical roles reflecting game levels may be attached to rights of what a specific user may change. The prototype presented in this paper will be evaluated in the next phase of the design research process.