In today’s online world, winning a debate isn’t just about getting a trophy anymore. It’s also about earning virtual symbols of recognition on platforms like Reddit and GitHub. These symbols have become a big motivator for people to join discussions. But, are they making discussions fair?
Researchers from Cornell used computers to study a million online discussions. They discovered something interesting. Virtual badges and titles showing someone’s status can give them more power to persuade others. This means that people listen to them not just because of what they say, but because of their status. This is a problem because it goes against the idea of fair and genuine discussions. It’s like someone having an advantage in a debate just because they have a special badge.
“We find that despite users’ experience and awareness and the long interactive conversations that take place between users, the persuasive power of status still seeps through to undermine the fairness of discussions,” the researchers explain.
Reputational impact
The study found that there was a considerable impact on the success of a debate from reputation, with each 10 units of reputation increase raising the chances of persuasion by over 30%.
“The concern is a strong concentration of a small number of core users actively contributing and potentially marginalizing other voices,” the authors explain. “The design of online deliberation platforms, including public and private organizations, should consider factors such as gender, social status, and knowledge to mitigate power distortions and promote diversity among users.”
The researchers spent seven years studying online debates on Reddit’s “Change My View” platform to see how much power status has in convincing people. This platform is a place where people discuss things like politics and culture to understand different opinions. They chose this platform because it’s well-moderated and has good conversations, unlike Facebook and Twitter where discussions can get mean or one-sided.
Their findings are important for companies that try to persuade people online, like those who sell things or handle customer complaints. Since people online often have too much information to handle, they prefer messages that are easy to understand. The research suggests that companies should make their messages simpler so that people don’t get overwhelmed.
Because of research showing that virtual status symbols can be negative, some companies, including Alibaba, are making changes. They’re hiding employee titles online and offline to make things more fair among employees. For example, Alibaba now hides what job positions employees have when they talk on the company’s discussion platform.
