| Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences, Vol. 1, Iss. 2, Apr, 1997, pp. 123-149 @1997 Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology & Life Sciences Dynamics in the Development of Large Information Exchange Groups and Virtual Communities Abstract: This study explored the dynamics associated with the development of a large scale internet discussion group that grew in size to over 800 subscribers. The unit of data analysis was the subscription level over time. The situation allowed the comparative evaluation of several models and metrics: the fractal dimension extracted from the inverse power law, the Lyapunov dimension extracted from the nonlinear exponential modeling technique, two approaches to the identification of a fixed point attractor, May-Oster population dynamics, and simulations and analysis of critical points. Results showed the presence of a fixed point attractor for subscription levels, plus a critical saddle point, suggested by game theory, whereby the group was functioning at a self-sustaining level. The overall time series was described as a clear example of May-Oster population dynamics. Keywords: group dynamics, population dynamics, coordination game, inverse power law, fixed point attractor, saddle point |