Diffusion of Responsibility in Large Digital Communities

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My biggest annoyance about moderating and participating in online communities is that even with the communities with a strong membership, engagement can be pretty low. Obviously, this is not always the case but I’m sure you’re a part of Slack channels, WhatsApp channels, and Facebook communities that create strong interest but poor conversation. I’ve begun to ask myself why does this occurs and I have a theory.

I believe that the diffusion of responsibility is a social phenomenon that isn’t just limited to communities with physical proximity but can extend to digital communities as well.

“Diffusion of responsibility is a psychological phenomenon in which people are less likely to take action when in the presence of a large group of people.”

The diffusion of responsibility is used to explain the Bystander Effect.

The Bystander Effect is a concept that “people are sometimes less likely to help out when there are others present”

This means when you post a question asking for help in a Facebook group of 10,000 developers, your chances are that an extremely small number will respond to you in comparison to the number of people that are qualified to help.

Often members feel that they are unqualified to help. This is only emphasized on the web where trolls and people ready to argue are lurking around every corner. It’s the responsibility of moderators, leaders, and facilitators to create a psychologically safe space for members to feel qualified to help each other no matter what they may be able to contribute.

Members also believe that either somebody else will help or that if nobody is helping it is not that important.

What can moderators, leaders, and facilitators do to improve their digital communities?

Participants are more likely to help each other when they feel a real type of connection. Even though similar interests may help members to find their tribe within the noise of the internet, they still will not have a true emotional connection to each member.

Virtual mixers and coffee chats are a perfect way to nurture connections between individuals. This is the core of creating a great community. It takes time, energy, and honestly a lot of heart and patience to bring people together in a meaningful way.

It can be difficult to manage a community of 10, let alone 1000 but moderators, facilitators, and leaders have to understand each member's individual strengths, weaknesses, and interests to be able to facilitate a conversation between members that may be able to help each other. By “mentioning” or tagging members rather than posting generic posts, facilitators can encourage accountability and community.

What do you think? Do some of these opinions resonate with your experiences? What techniques would you recommend for community leaders?