No Community Can Do Everything: Why People Participate in Similar Online Communities

This interview study explores why individuals participate in overlapping online communities, using Reddit subreddit communities as a case studies. The research identifies a "trilemma" in community design, where users seek specific content, homophilous communities, and the largest possible audience—needs that no single community can fully satisfy. Conducted as part of my work with the University of Washington's Department of Communication, the project offers insights into how overlapping communities collectively provide diverse benefits to users.

• Investigate why overlapping communities emerge and persist.

• Identify the specific benefits users seek from these communities.

• Develop actionable insights for platform designers to enhance user experiences through community ecosystems.

I contributed to the project as a Co-Leader and Co-Author, with specific responsibilities:

• Study Design: Assisted in developing the qualitative interview study and research questions.

• Team Training: Trained undergraduate research assistants in participant recruitment and interview techniques.

• Data Analysis: Led the initial coding and thematic analysis of interview transcripts using grounded theory.

• Paper Revision: Collaborated on revising and writing the paper for publication in CSCW.

• Qualitative Research Execution: Conducted inductive analysis of 20 interviews with Reddit users active in overlapping communities.

• Research Coordination: Guided undergraduate research assistants in participant recruitment and data collection.

• Framework Development: Helped construct the “trilemma” framework, explaining why no single community can satisfy all user needs.

• Collaborative Writing: Revised drafts and co-authored the paper, which was published in the Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction.

• Developed a theoretical "trilemma" explaining tensions between community goals of specificity, homophily, and audience size.

• Identified patterns of user behavior in forming portfolios of communities to meet diverse needs.

• Proposed design recommendations for platforms to better support multi-community ecosystems and user navigation.