This seems like an awfully shaky line of research for a thesis. The study involved nearly every topic of discussion (politics/religion/sports etc.) ? How could meaningful conclusions be made from a place like this? The Issues forum is just an echo chamber anyway. What would be the control group? How could findings here, online, be verified by anyone? Hell, people have a hard enough time even detecting sarcasm online, much less analyzing behavior.
On the other hand, if the project was to study people's reaction to power and "authority" in an online setting, that might make some sense. A well-respected member with a million posts .... how much can he get away with and for how long? Will other posters bend to his will? How many will side with him?
How did I react to one of your team's neg rep onslaughts? Did I pass? Can I have my piece of cheese now?
