PPIG 2025 - 36th Annual Workshop
Keynote
Private Skills, Public Stakes: Rethinking Software Knowledge Sharing as a Social Practice
Nancy Xia
Abstract: Informal, unstructured knowledge sharing is one of the main methods of learning and discovery for users navigating end-user programming environments such as spreadsheets. However, knowledge sharing is not only about sharing information, it is also a social interaction. Through qualitative and survey studies undertaken as part of my PhD, I explore the challenges users face with knowledge sharing in the spreadsheet context, highlighting how even the seemingly neutral context of sharing a spreadsheet can be mired with social concerns about how one demonstrates one’s professional competence, and how this may influence their reputation. I highlight how end-user programming practices cannot be understood in isolation from the social environments in which they are embedded, and that supporting knowledge sharing requires addressing users’ reputational and social needs as much as technical skill.