Shedding Light on Lurkers in Online Communities

Abstract

Lurkers are reported to make up a sizable proportion of many online communities, yet little is known about their reasons for lurking, who they are, and how they lurk. In this study, interviews with online community members provided a formative understanding of these and other issues. We discovered that lurking is a systematic and idiosyncratic process, with well-developed rationales and strategies. All interviewees lurked, but not all the time, and several developed a sense of community through their lurking.