Bounded in Cyberspace: An Empirical Model of Self-Regulation in Virtual Communities

This article aims to focus on self-regulation mechanisms that are exercised by virtual communities in order to maintain their boundaries of autonomy while directing behavior of their members. An empirical examination of policy and enforcement of discarding inappropriate messages was conducted on 715 virtual communities. The study extracted lessons regarding the efficiency and efficacy of self-regulation in virtual communities. Moreover, it is argued that social capital and the history of users can serve as important factors while constructing self-regulation processes.