Evaluating and Enriching Online Knowledge Exchange: A Socio-epistemological Perspective

A.A. Lazakidou (ed.), Virtual Communities, Social Networks and Collaboration, Annals of Information Systems 15, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-3634-8_3, © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012 Abstract We apply approaches from social epistemology and social psychology to the study of knowledge in online communities. We fi rst provide a descriptive analysis of knowledge behaviours informed by social psychology and in particular Arie Kruglanski’s lay epistemics. This is followed by normative considerations concerning epistemic, i.e. knowledge-related, practices based upon insights from the philosophical fi eld of social epistemology. In particular, we refer to the works of Alvin Goldman, Helen Longino and Miranda Fricker. Outcomes of this dual analysis are norms and evaluation criteria as well as strategies to design online knowledge exchange through avoidance of bias, stimulation of diversity and warranted recognition of epistemic authority.