Hagman, Jennifer, Batya Friedman, Peter H. Kahn Jr.

On-line AIBO Discussion Forums: Talking Robotic Pets or Just Plain Talking?

Abstract

One of the most sophisticated of the robotic pets currently on the market is Sony's AIBO. This robotic dog has sold well and generated a handful of related online communities with moderated discussion forums. However, little is known about this form of internet use. Accordingly, in this study, we analyzed the spontaneous postings that occurred in three of the most popular online AIBO discussion forums. Postings were collected from May 22 - September 5, 2001. In total, 6438 postings were collected. We had two goals. First, we investigated how these AIBO forum participants conceptualized their relationship with their robotic pets. Based on a systematic coding of the data (with 90% intercoder reliability) we found that AIBO psychologically engaged this group of participants, particularly by drawing forth conceptions of essences (79%), agency (60%), and social standing (59%). However, participants seldom attributed moral standing to AIBO (e.g., that AIBO deserves respect, has rights, or can be held morally accountable for action). Second, we investigated the importance of the online discussion forums for participants independent of the forum's official content (AIBO). For example, of the 6438 postings, over half (3319) were unrelated to AIBO. Our discussion at this conference will focus on how online discussion forums appear to serve a dual purpose: providing means of communication about a topic of interest to the participants and, independent of the content, providing a rich forum for meaningful social interaction.