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You can't think that you are the only one to have thought of studying the effects of backchannels, right? No doubt there are other studies and papers already in production. Backchannels have been around for a while - I've been using them for more than a year - and by not some people will certainly have thought of studying them (not me, though - I build these things, see whether they work, and move on). In any case, living in fear of being scooped is not a very good way to live, in my view. You should be happy that the work is being done, not upset that someone is getting their results before you. It's not a race. And in many cases, the first person to do something is not credited - what I've seen is that people in places like MIT or Harvard or Stanford can come in 18th and still be called 'first' by the wider society. Do good work, stay true to your values, and don't be watching over your shoulder all the time. Life's too short, and you can't have an impact if you're always worried about getting credit.