Who's Contributing: Do Personality Traits Influence the Level and Type of Participation in Online Communities

This paper reports on a study that investigated the question of whether the personality traits of individuals participating in online communities affect the nature and level of their involvement. An online survey gathered data on the level and type of each participant's engagement in their online community forum, as well as data from a 44 item instrument for measuring personality type, based on the Big-Five Inventory. The findings showed that no one personality type was predominant amongst participants, but that motivations for participating varied according to personality type, and that individuals high in certain personality traits (such as neuroticism) are less likely to actively participate in much of the online activity of the community. This has implications for online consultation by governments if they wish to use online community discussions for assessing public opinion of matters of policy.