Expanding the Public Sphere through Computer ... - ResearchGate

CHAPTER 5. MEASURING THE PUBLIC SPHERE 70
one year period. This section describes the criteria used to select the case study,
and details the procedures used to collect and analyze the data.
Once a decision was reached to study the structure of Usenet newsgroups, there
were essentially two methodological options available (assuming a limit to the
amount of data that was to be processed). One option was to select a number
of groups and examine the patterns of interaction across groups over a relatively
short period of time. The advantage of this option is the increased generalizability
that results from patterns observed in several groups. In addition, the multi-group
analysis method allows the content area of the group to be a variable. The second
option was to select a single group and examine patterns of interaction across
a relatively long period of time. The advantages of this option is the increased
ability to detect and understand subtle patterns of interaction. This study adopted
the second option, and uses the case study method to examine structural patterns
within a single newsgroup.
The talk.abortion newsgroup selected for analysis is focused on “all sorts of discussion
about abortion and the abortion issue” This issue, as discussed in Chapter
4 on page 57, is an important ongoing public issue with unresolved aspects
featured in public discourse (Ferree & Gamson 1993). The nature of the abortion
issue requires a well-constructed public sphere in order for a democratic resolution
to emerge, and it is particularly dependent on a strong and active informal
public sphere, given the direct links between personal beliefs, personal behavior,
and public actions. At the same time, the abortion issue may be particularly well
suited to computer-mediated discussion; given the very personal nature of this issue,
many people who may be reluctant to engage in discussion traditional settings
(Noelle-Neuman 1984, Salmon & Neuwirth 1990, MacKuen 1990) may find an
alternative in the computer-mediated setting. The benefit from an intensive, overtime
examination of the patterns of behavior within a single group struggling to
discuss a controversial, emotional and political issue outweighed whatever limitations
are present as a result of the focus on just one group, and perhaps especially
a group focused on this topic.
Before proceeding, it may be helpful to introduce and define several “terms of art”
that are used throughout the remainder of the thesis:
Message A message or newsgroup article is a self-contained collection of words
written by a single author and contributed to the newsgroup as a unique
entity at a specific time. Each message can be identified by its day, author,