1. Digital communities: empirical variety and analytical typology

1. Why Digital Epistemic Communities are both information and knowledge based ?By Richard ARENA (GREDEG, University of Nice/Sophia Antipolis, CNRS and Wolfson College, Cambridge) and Bernard CONEIN (LAMIC, University of Nice/Sophia Antipolis and EHESS, Paris)Contribution to the Conference “Distributed Networks and Knowledge-based Economies”, 10-11 May, 2007, Nice

2. 1. Digital communities: empirical variety and analytical typology 2. Digital communities: Agent Motivations 3. The case of digital epistemic communities [II]

3. Digital communities: empirical variety and analytical typology What are digital communities?  “A virtual community exists when it is possible for a group of individuals to meet and interact with each other in cyberspace and these individuals voluntarily choose to participate in these meetings and interactions” (Steinmueller, 2002)  ‘virtual’, ‘interact’, ‘voluntary choose’ + proximity to economic activities (markets and productive organisations) [III]

4. Digital communities: empirical variety and analytical typology Empirical variety: • Supply driven communities • Experience sharing communities • Files sharing communities • E-market places • Digital communities of practice • Epistemic e-communities • Knowledge goods e-communities [IV]

5. Digital communities: empirical variety and analytical typology Typology and diversity: • Information-based communities include experience communities, files sharing communities, e-market places and some knowledge goods communities • Knowledge-based communities include digital communities of practice, epistemic e-communities and open-source communities [V]

6. Digital communities: empirical variety and analytical typology ‘Analytical’ Typology • ‘Pure’ information-based communities are oriented towards information diffusion and knowledge exploitation • ‘Pure’ knowledge-based communities are oriented towards actual knowledge exploration and new knowledge creation[VI]

7. 1. Digital communities: empirical variety and analytical typology • Within digital communities, individuals are coordinated by and communicated through a digital artefact • Amongst digital communities, digital epistemic communities are communities where individuals are coordinated and communicated through a digital artefact dedicated to information and knowledge diffusion as well as to knowledge production [VII]

8. 2. Digitalcommunities: Agent Motivations A first approach to digital communities: Old wine in new bottles?: • New types of sociality and interpersonal intimacy • A revival of social or general reciprocity and thick communities?[VIII]

9. 2. Digital communities: Agent Motivations A second approach to digital communities: rational choice and strategic interaction • Game theory, self-regarding preferences and instrumental reciprocity: communication, repeated interactions and incomplete information; the problem of reputation effects • Game theory, other-regarding preferences and intrinsic reciprocity: the necessity of a theory of innovation and knowledge creation[IX]

10. 2. Digital communities: Motivations and incentives Towards a different approach to digital communities: reliance on an artefact Digital artefacts as digital technologies of social interaction present four possible effects: • A communication effect (reliance and trust) • Aninteraction effect (network effect) • An information effect (information diffusion) • Anepistemic effect (new knowledge increase) [X]

11. 2. Digital communities: Motivations and incentives Towards a different approach to digital communities: reliance on an artefact • The way these four effects are combined induces the shape of digital communities • Degree of reliance on the artefact + Level of the interaction between agents + Amount of memorized information + Amount and nature of new knowledge acquired [XI]

12. 2. Digital communities: Motivations and incentives Towards a different approach to digital communities: I- andwe-rationalities • The notion of collective end • Weak and strong cooperation • I- and we-rationalities • Tuomela’s pro group I-mode of action • From ‘pure’ to ‘hybrid’ communities [XII]

13. 3. The case of digital epistemic communities Digital epistemic communities are a case of ‘hybrid’ communities: « Communication can play a critical role for old knowledge dissemination and new knowledge acquisition. In the former case communication is needed to transmit the knowledge enduring message. In the latter case, at least collaboration is featured, communication among collaborators is essential. » (Alvin Goldman,1999) [XIII]

14. 3. The case of digital epistemic communities: two forms of interaction (i) Strong cooperation and collaborative learning • Digital epistemic communities first imply collaborative cooperation between equal peers; and low cognitive distance: « The learner co-constructs with a peer of equal knowledge and status a novel cognitive structure… it is a process of cultural creation or co-construction rather than transmission » (Tomasello and alii,1993). • This form of cooperation implies we-rationality and requires strong reciprocity; I-rationality and mutual self-interest are not sufficient [XIV]

15. 3. The case of digital epistemic communities: two forms of interaction (ii) Transmisional cooperation • Digital epistemic communities also imply transmisional cooperation between knowers; and high cognitive distance: • knowledge transmission is not knowledge replication but generates knowledge transformation since pure ‘cognitive artefacts’ (Norman, 1991) through digital automatons parse contents (see Sperber’s relevance theory)but… • ...co-operative communication between individuals allows the context as well as reciprocity norms to correct and repair transmission distortions • How? Thanks to epistemic artefacts especially[XV]

16. 3. The case of digital epistemic communities: the notion of epistemic artefact • Epistemic artefacts are a special kind of interactive artefacts designed to sustain collaborative joint task and cooperative communication within digital epistemic communities; they sustain we-rationality in ICT-based economies. • Epistemic Artefacts also allow the co-creation of knowledge by knowledge producers and users, “making public desires and knowledge in co-operative communication” (Tomasello, 2006) • Therefore, co-operative communication is alsorequired for knowledge creation within digital epistemic communities and implies a combination of cognitive and epistemic artefacts [XVI]

17. Conclusions • Importance of the distinction between ‘pure’ information- and knowledge based communities • Importance of artefacts, even for economists • Importance of the distinction between I- and we-rationalities • ‘Pure’ and ‘hybrid’ digital communities • Combination of cognitive and epistemic artefacts [XVII]