Effects of social media affordances on knowledge contribution in online Q&A communities: a self-determination perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of social media affordances, specifically social engagement and social endorsement, on knowledge contribution in online Q&A communities. Building on self-determination theory, this research seeks to tackle the issue of under-provision of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Industrial management + data systems 2023-08, Vol.123 (8), p.2038-2054
Main Authors: Zhou, Yusheng, Zhu, Lei, Wu, Chuanhui, Wang, Houcai, Wang, Qun, Yuan, Qinjian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altruism
Digital media
Hypotheses
Information systems
Knowledge sharing
Monetary incentives
Motivation
Social networks
Success
User behavior
Virtual communities
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Summary:PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of social media affordances, specifically social engagement and social endorsement, on knowledge contribution in online Q&A communities. Building on self-determination theory, this research seeks to tackle the issue of under-provision of knowledge in these communities.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a sample collected from a popular social Q&A community in China and uses linear panel data models along with multiple robustness checks to test the research model.FindingsThe findings reveal that both social engagement and social endorsement have a positive effect on users' knowledge contribution to the online Q&A community. However, the impact of social engagement is mitigated by social endorsement.Originality/valueThis paper makes a valuable contribution to the field by filling the research gap on the role of social engagement behaviors and their interaction with social endorsement in online Q&A communities. The results provide insights into how social media affordances can be leveraged to enhance knowledge contribution in these communities.
ISSN:0263-5577
1758-5783
DOI:10.1108/IMDS-05-2022-0315