Lurking in online participation and e-participation

This PhD aims to contribute to the body of knowledge on online participation, addressing in particular the online behaviors known as lurking. Lurking is probably the most common online behavior, so it is important to understand what lurking is, how it is defined, its value and impact. A literature review shows the many definitions of lurking, and that the definition chosen impacts how online research is interpreted. The results from an e-participation case study, reveal that online lurking can be understood as a valuable online behaviour, and that Takahashi and Yamasaki's definition in particular helps to view lurkers as active participants in a network or system and may be the best way to evaluate the role and impact lurkers have in e-participation.