Support while control: the influence of embeddedness on virtual community participation
| Published date | 17 June 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-09-2018-0133 |
| Date | 17 June 2019 |
| Pages | 155-167 |
| Author | Xiao Deng,Bo Gao,Lei Chen |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Support while control: the
influence of embeddedness on
virtual community participation
Xiao Deng
Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, Beijing, China
Bo Gao
School of Government, Peking University, Beijing, China, and
Lei Chen
College of Economics and Management,
China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Abstract
Purpose –Exploring the antecedents of members community participation is extremely important for
virtual communities (VCs) research and practice. As an important social characteristic of individuals, social
embeddedness has been proved as an important antecedent of many individual behaviors; however,
few research has investigated the influence of virtual community members social embeddedness on virtual
community members’participation. To fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship
between social embeddedness and community participation in VCs.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper conducted empirical study to test the hypotheses. Based on
existing scales, this research designed the questionnaire and used a web-based survey to collect the data from
VCs in China. To avoid the common method bias, this study collected data at two different times. The final
sample included 96 virtual community members from seven communities (community size ranging from
10 to 25) of Baidu Tieba, which is the largest Chinese online communication platform. And this paper used
regression models to analysis the data.
Findings –Based on social network theory, this paper found that virtual community members’social
embeddedness in their virtual community has a curvilinear (i.e. inverted U-shaped) effect on their community
participation behaviors. And members’perceived autonomy mediates the curvilinear (i.e. reversed U-shaped)
relationship between social network embeddedness and community participation. Furthermore, member
instability moderates the curvilinear (i.e. inverted U-shaped) main effect, such that the curvilinear relationship
is weakened when member instability is high.
Originality/value –Departing from previous virtual community studies that examine antecedences of
participationin linear logic, thisstudy applied social networktheory to create a complex,curvilinear, moderated
mediation model. The result reveals a curvilinear (i.e. inverted U-shaped) relationship between virtual
community members’social embeddedness in the virtual community and their community participation.
And thisstudy also introduce autonomyas mediator and memberinstability as moderator.By testing the whole
model betweencommunity members’socialembeddedness and communityparticipation,this study contributes
to deepen the understanding of social embeddednessand virtual community participation.
Keywords Databases, Data analysis, Data mining, Data management, Data security, Data administration
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Keeping virtual community (VC) members’high participation is extremelyimportant and also
a challenge for community managers. An online survey conducted by NetEase Inc (Nasdaq:
NTES) investigated why people are no longer willing to participate in VCs. It concluded several
reasons through interviews and surveys. Two of the top five reasons are associated with deep
social network embeddedness in the VC, which are interpersonal concerns and acquaintance’
constraints. Being deeply involved in the VC allows members in the community to know about
each other and they produce the tight network as same as that in our daily life. As a result,
community members cannot enjoy anonymity and do not feel free to share any longer.
As a result, they quit to join in the community activities. This phenomenon seems to suggest
Library Hi Tech
Vol. 37 No. 2, 2019
pp. 155-167
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/LHT-09-2018-0133
Received 24 September 2018
Revised 15 November 2018
Accepted 26 November 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0737-8831.htm
155
The influence of
embeddedness on
virtual community
participation
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