Sorin Adam Matei
Please join me in congratulating Sorin Adam Matei, professor in the Brian Lamb School of Communication, on the publication of his book Structural Differentiation in Social Media: Adhocracy, Entropy, and the "1 % Effect” (Springer, 2017).
Sorin analyzed 10-years’ worth of data collected from Wikipedia for a total of 250 million edits made by 22 million editors. He and his co-author, Brian Britt, found that 80% of the edits are made by 1% of the contributors. The book also found distinct phases in Wikipedia’s evolution, similar to those found in real life organizations. The book also emphasizes the role of strong, temporary leaders for the success of any online project.
Sorin has published nine other books and multiple articles in the Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Information Society, and Foreign Policy. Among many other involvements, Sorin leads the Global Communication Study Abroad program organized with support experts from the French National Assembly and from the French Superior Council for Audio-Visual Media (FCC equivalent).
Congratulations, Professor Matei!
David A. Reingold
Justin S. Morrill Dean
College of Liberal Arts