Media / Publication
December 10, 2025

Frame Similarity and Online Communities: The Case of Deepfakes on Reddit

In online communities, the exchange of information and knowledge is mediated by the generation, selection, and transfer of frames. When facing novel and ambiguous technologies, such as deepfakes, these communities engage in sense-making processes that may lead to either frame convergence or divergence.

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the membership overlap among online communities within a broader network and the emergence of frame similarity across communities. Building on technological frames and information transfer theories, we adopt an exploratory approach, using Reddit as a case study. Preliminary findings indicate that context collapse and direct influence are the principal factors influencing frame similarity. Similarly, communities that work as brokers between communities and that receive frames from other communities in the network tend to frame similarity, while communities that influence others disrupt it.

To continue reading please visit: https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/hti/hti/30

This open access article was published in the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) 2025 Conference Proceedings on 10 December 2025.

Miotto, M., Priante, A., & Li, T. (2025). Frame Similarity and Online Communities: The Case of Deepfakes on Reddit. ICIS 2025 Proceedings. https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/hti/hti/30

Keywords: Frame similarity, Reddit, online communities, deepfakes