arXiv
Social Sciences
Help only hooks newcomers — veterans don't play by reciprocity rules
A new restaurant regular who gets friendly service tends to tip better next time. But your grandmother, who's eaten there for 20 years, tips the same no matter what — familiarity breaks the "pay it forward" cycle.
This means online communities like Stack Overflow can't rely on generalized reciprocity to sustain themselves — they need to actively nurture new members or watch engagement collapse.
Bug reported: No