s t a ke yo u r c l a i m of what community means differ somewhat from those of physical communities. People find ways to overcome the inherent challenges of electronic communications. They express support for each other, establish their identities and find common interests and connections.” Askay’s research helps grow the understanding of these online communities, said Blanchard, who with Askay and Katherine A. Frear published a chapter in the book “Communication, Relationships and Practices in Virtual Work.” Their chapter explored the sense of community in professional virtual communities and how it differs from the sense of community in social virtual communities. As a traveler, Askay realized the power of the Internet and online communities to promote cultural exchange, understanding and learning. “I was interested specifically in how something as unassuming as an online review could instill so much trust in people,” Askay said of his early experiences with CouchSurfing. “This led me down the path of studying the phenomena of online reviews, focusing more on the production of reviews and expression of opinions as opposed to the impact of seeing them.” CALIFORNIA BOUND The next steps on his journey will take him to California Polytechnic State University, where he will join the faculty in the fall as an assistant professor in communication studies. His
proximity to Silicon Valley and its technology innovators will allow him to continue to explore emerging issues of online crowdbased technologies and social interaction in a technological world. “The biggest thing for researchers is being heard by the right people, where you can enact change,” Askay says. As a graduate student, Askay has distinguished himself with his research and his teaching. Among many honors, Askay received the Graduate Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award for the top graduate teaching assistant in 2012. In fall 2012, he received one of the most prestigious national research awards presented to students doing communication studies research, the Donald P. Cushman Memorial Award. Askay’s research for which he received the honor delved into the positive bias of opinions expressed in an online review system. He reviewed discussion forums in an online community of reviewers and determined that a fear of retaliation and isolation from the community reduces the willingness of members to voice minority neutral and negative reviews. “David’s research holds great contemporary relevance, advancing both science and practice in an emergent area in the organizational sciences, social media,” said Dr. Steven Rogelberg, director of organizational science at UNC Charlotte. In his doctoral thesis, Askay has conducted another study, a two-year ethnographic look
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at an online review system and the impact of users who are selected by the organization to be “elite” members. While comprising 4 percent of the reviewers, they generate 40 percent of reviews. They also are connected in the physical world, through parties and other activities. “With crowd-sourcing, you have a diverse group of people that provides the wisdom of the crowd,” Askay said. “They generally work for free and are not connected. But then there’s this group that is highly connected and rewarded by the organization.” He is studying what impact this connected sub-group has on the crowd view and whether it suggests the organization wants not merely more participation, but a certain type of participation to achieve organizational goals. ‘ELITE’ VIEWS OFTEN MODERATE His research so far suggests that the more moderate reviews by the “elites” can balance out the more extreme reviews by others, because they tend to rate their experiences with more 3s and 4s on a 1-5 scale than other reviewers. This, he presumes, leads to a more accurate overall rating of the business. His research considers why a business would wish to reward such moderating behavior, which is, in effect, what happens with “elites.” The presence of such a group raises other questions about whether it reinforces society’s stratification, Askay said. These members tend to be more literate and more affluent than the overall group. “This is a reflection of society, where elite members online are also the elites of society,” he said. He anticipates research opportunities in exploring what companies and organizations are doing to encourage people to basically work for them for free, such as by doing reviews. “Part of my research looks at how organizations can unobtrusively encourage crowds of people to participate in a desired way,” he said. He sees potential implications for employers and employees as they consider the impact of thousands of people working for free to generate value for the organization. “How does that change work, how people work and how they are rewarded?” Askay said. He is ruminating about even more research topics, no doubt. Lynn Roberson is communications director for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
Askay’s far-flung adventures include teaching school for a year in Japan. www.UNCC.edu
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