over-participation

A phenomenon where creators face excessive demands on their attention from audiences, driven by social norms and insufficient platform infrastructure.

1 chapter across 1 book

Working in Public: The Making and Maintenance of Open Source Software (2020)Nadia Eghbal

Chapter 4 revisited the question of marginal cost. We tend to assume that content doesn’t incur significant marginal costs, thanks to platforms that now absorb most of the distribution costs for creators. However, it’s the maintenance of content that incurs hidden costs with time and use.

This chapter explores the hidden costs of content maintenance in online platforms, emphasizing that while distribution costs have decreased, creators face ongoing attention and reputation maintenance costs. It highlights the challenge of managing over-participation, where creators' limited attention is over-appropriated by audiences, and discusses evolving social platform infrastructures adapting to scale and changing social norms. The chapter also contrasts public broadcasting and private social interactions, underscoring the need for platforms to provide tools that help creators manage their communities and attention.