Chaos Theory as a Lens for Interpreting Blogging

Authors:
Xitong Guo;Doug Vogel;Zhongyun Zhou;Xi Zhang;Huaping Chen
Affiliations:
City University of Hong Kong (CityU);City University of Hong Kong (CityU);University of Science and Technology of China (USTC);Department of Information Systems, City University of Hong Kong (CityU);Management School, University of Science and Technology of China
Venue:
Journal of Management Information Systems
Year:
2009

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Abstract

Abstract: Blogging is becoming increasingly popular as a global phenomenon. Individual blog traffic and blogosphere structure are of interest to academia and practice. Although it is difficult to get a snapshot of the blogosphere with enough blogs over a long enough period to capture the real situation, chaos theory finds underlying order in this apparent random and complex phenomenon. This study provides an overall view of blogging from micro (individual blog traffic dynamics) and macro (blogosphere structure) levels through a chaos theory lens. Key concepts of chaos theory are used to construct an interpretive framework to illustrate blog system behavior dynamics. Blog systems tend to be nonlinear, dynamic, and deterministic, as well as sensitive to initial conditions. The study also demonstrates the feasibility of applying chaos theory thinking to areas such as knowledge management and the recent global financial crisis. Implications for practice and research opportunities are presented.