Title: User experiences in the Official WikiLeaks Forum

Authors: Pirita Ihamäki

Addresses: University of Turku, P.O. Box 124, Pori, 28100, Finland

Abstract: Computer-mediated communication may facilitate political and social participation through "the maintenance of dispersed face-to-face networks", the development of cultural and "socio-spatial enclaves", and the technical support to interest group activity [Calhoun, (1998), pp.383-385], its contribution to the creation of new types of communities, and to the spread of new democratic practices based on principles of consultation, is far from clear. The aim of the study is to observe the social user experiences and users sharing own content of Official WikiLeaks Forum member's type of ethnographic data. WikiLeaks mention that their most important activities are to publish original source material alongside their news that readers and historians alike can see evidence of the truth (WikiLeaks, 2011). We can regard social movements as networks of relationships, which connect informally, without formal organisational bindings a multiplicity of individuals and networks, who share own data and collectively create new data as events interact around conflict issues (Diani, 1999). Conclusions presented the central six drivers computer-mediated communication of social user experience in online social activity, which passed on empirical findings.

Keywords: Official WikiLeaks Forum; user experience; free culture movement; hackers; user generated content; social capital; computer-mediated communication; ethnographic data; social movements.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICT.2014.063221

International Journal of Information and Communication Technology, 2014 Vol.6 No.3/4, pp.381 - 402

Received: 25 Feb 2013
Accepted: 19 Jul 2013

Published online: 26 Jul 2014 *

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