Please say "shibboleth": Socialization through language adoption in virtual citizen science

Socialization is crucial for open collaboration projects as incumbent participants establish and build relationships within their community. However, socialization often excludes engagement in a group s communicative and language practices. This study examines the socialization of newcomers to the communicative and language practices of Gravity Spy. Participants classify image subjects in Gravity Spy to isolate noise signals in gravitational wave detectors. Analyzing the discussion posts of Gravity Spy newcomers, we determine how they assimilate into the group s communicative practices.