How to measure the health of online communities

Being dominated by one group or ideology is the hallmark of an unhealthy online space, say experts at the SNF Agora Institute and New_ Public. Experts from the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and New_ Public have published an innovative new approach to measure the health of online communities. According to their report, titled " Dynamic Polycentrism ," in order to determine the health of a digital space, experts must first determine its level of pluralism. Over the past few decades, the Internet has become an increasingly important public convening place. However, as explained in the report, these new online spaces are not necessarily healthy. Many digital communities have become dominated by a single ideological group, discouraging outsiders from participation and limiting democratic discussion. Dynamic Polycentrism A Way to Measure Pluralism in Online Communities without Excessive Surveillance Alternatively, online spaces that encourage pluralism and polycentricism allow for power to be shared equitably between multiple groups.