| Studies of user-generated tagging (e.g., Yoon, 2009) argue that tag agreement across users is due to wide-spread use of basic level category terms. This study investigated whether the superordinate, subordinate or basic level of abstraction predominated in user-generated tagging vocabularies and whether differences in level of abstraction were influenced by resource content or genre. Analysis of 7617 tags assigned by 40 participants to 36 online resources representing four content categories (i.e., TOOL, FRUIT, CLOTHING, VEHICLE) and three genres (i.e., news, blog, ecommerce) found no overall preferences in assignment of superordinate, subordinate and basic level tags. However, significant differences were identified in the frequency of occurrence of subordinate and basic level tags assigned to resources in the FRUIT content category and of superordinate and basic level tags assigned to resources in the CLOTHING content category. The study also found significant variations in preferred levels of abstraction based on resource genre. Based on analysis of the tagging vocabularies generated by participants, the study concluded that, within the framework of Heidegger's (1953/1996) notion of handiness, observed variations in preferred level(s) of abstraction are to be expected in that perception -- and thus the meaning of "things" -- arises out of the individual's contextualized experiences of engaging with objects. |
