RESUMO
Introduction: Online communities are gaining importance in modern society by actively structuring public opinion and initiating discussions about various socio-economical issues. As information and communication technologies advance, the online communities are confronted with novel technological and societal hurdles (the spread of misinformation, lack of active participation). To boost their efficacy and productivity, it's crucial to enhance our understanding of user behavior, communication avenues and potential future trends of development. Objective: Online platforms serve a function beyond simply sharing information or knowledge; they act as influential social networks affecting various societal sectors, including politics, culture and the economy. There is a need to recognize online communities not as static entities, but as dynamic, evolving systems of collective intelligence. Methods: A representative quantitative study was carried out between 1 to 30 of October 2022 through direct, in-person interviews conducted at the respondent's residence (known as an Omnibus survey). The sample of respondents is representative of the entire population of Lithuania regarding essential socio-demographic characteristics. By thoroughly analyzing data gathered from a comprehensive quantitative study, the study raises awareness of the issues surrounding online communities, while also shedding light on social networking behavior within these virtual spaces. Discussion: Despite the multitude of challenges inherent to virtual communication, there remains a significant knowledge gap in comprehending general user behavior within these online communities. The current research aims to bridge this gap by investigating user behavior in Lithuanian online communities.
RESUMO
Citizen science has expanded rapidly over the past decades. Yet, defining citizen science and its boundaries remained a challenge, and this is reflected in the literature-for example in the proliferation of typologies and definitions. There is a need for identifying areas of agreement and disagreement within the citizen science practitioners community on what should be considered as citizen science activity. This paper describes the development and results of a survey that examined this issue, through the use of vignettes-short case descriptions that describe an activity, while asking the respondents to rate the activity on a scale from 'not citizen science' (0%) to 'citizen science' (100%). The survey included 50 vignettes, of which five were developed as clear cases of not-citizen science activities, five as widely accepted citizen science activities and the others addressing 10 factors and 61 sub-factors that can lead to controversy about an activity. The survey has attracted 333 respondents, who provided over 5100 ratings. The analysis demonstrates the plurality of understanding of what citizen science is and calls for an open understanding of what activities are included in the field.
