The central roles of embeddedness and engagement in virtual communities

Conceptualization social influence from the need to belong perspective on psychological needs' satisfaction to share knowledge

Purpose

Aiming to comprehend the function of social influence as an extrinsic motive influencing individuals' psychological needs satisfaction to share knowledge in higher educational institutions, the study will profile prior literature on how social influence affects knowledge sharing and conceptualize a suggested framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The research thoroughly examined the literature for the previous ten years using a comprehensive evaluation, mapping and analyzes research networks of the literature on relational social influence factors through bibliometric analysis. It offers a conceptual framework that explains extrinsic social factors and their effects on the psychological needs satisfaction to share knowledge among people from the viewpoint of a need to belong.

Findings

The study concluded a unique a conceptual framework that provides a solid understanding for the relational social influence phenomenon in the perspective of the need to belong, which satisfy the psychological needs to share knowledge. This will contribute to further investigations in the research area.

Research limitations

The study is a qualitative study and is limited in its generalizability as it needs further investigations to overcome the bias on the part of the researcher.

Practical implications

Adopting the proposed conceptual framework serves as a diagnostic tool for researchers to address the social influence that is likely to boost individuals' satisfaction to share knowledge.

Originality/value

This research presents a novel understanding of social influence as an extrinsic motivator arising from a sense of belonging that affects individuals' needs satisfaction to share knowledge.

Social implications

Increasing the awareness of how social influence is likely to motivate individuals to connect with one another, interact socially, and work together collaboratively to fulfil their satisfaction of psychological needs to share knowledge.

Online communication self-disclosure and intimacy development on Facebook: the perspective of uses and gratifications theory

Purpose

Motivating users to revisit a social networking site (SNS) by developing a long-term relationship with them is critical for SNS operators to enhance market control and competitiveness. By conceptualizing loyalty intention as an indicator of the long-term relationship, the present study, based on uses and gratification (U&G) theory, aims to explore the role played by online intimacy development with respect to loyalty intention when individuals have gained gratifications through using the SNS.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a questionnaire measuring six types of Facebook gratifications as well as measuring self-disclosure breadth, self-disclosure depth, intimacy with Facebook, intimacy with Facebook friends and loyalty intention. Data, collected from the University of Economics in Vietnam, were analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) approach.

Findings

The results support several findings: (1) the gratifications including entertainment, network extension, recognition and emotional support provided by Facebook may stimulate the users' intimacy with Facebook and/or Facebook users; (2) intimacy with Facebook and intimacy with Facebook friends facilitate users' loyalty intention; (3) having a sense of emotional support influences users to engage in self-disclosure with breadth and meaningful depth, thus leading them to develop a sense of intimacy with Facebook friends.

Originality/value

The study contributes to U&G research, intimacy theory and the SNS literature by offering an understanding of users' online communication self-disclosure and intimacy development, wherein the self-disclosure and intimacy stem from the users' gratifications via using specific SNS services and, in turn, create their loyalty intention toward that SNS.

The role of integrated offline/online social activity and social identification in Facebook citizenship behaviour formation

Purpose

Drawing on social identity theory and prosocial behaviour research, this study explores how people's integration of their offline and online social activities through Facebook cultivates their Facebook citizenship behaviour (FCB). It also offers further insight into the underlying mechanism of offline and online social activity integration - FCB relation by investigating people's social identification with their offline and online social groups as possible mediators.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on social identity theory (SIT) literature, community citizenship behaviour and offline-online social activity integration through Facebook, we developed a conceptual model, which was empirically tested using data from 308 Facebook users

Findings

The results confirm that the participants' offline-online social activity integration via Facebook is positively linked to their FCB. Further, the integration of offline and online social activity through Facebook positively affects how a person identifies with their offline and online social groups, which in turn causes them to display FCB. In addition, offline/online social identification mediates the integration – FCB relation.

Practical implications

In practice, it is interesting to see people's tendency towards altruistic behaviours within groups they like to associate themselves with. Those who share their Facebook network with their offline friends can use such network to seek help and support.

Originality/value

From a theoretical perspective, unlike past research, this study examines how individuals' offline-online social activity integration via Facebook helps them associate with groups. In addition, this study investigates social identification from an offline and online perspective.

Engagement-oriented design: a study of New Zealand public cultural heritage institutions crowdsourcing platforms

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to propose a set of design recommendations for crowdsourcing platforms with a focus on user engagement. A sample of New Zealand (NZ) cultural heritage institutions (CHIs) crowdsourcing platforms were assessed, with the aim of offering insights into how they have been designed to encourage dialogue and engagement and to sustain participation.

Design/methodology/approach

The design recommendations were derived from a review of related works. Following this, 12 crowdsourcing projects overseen by libraries, museums and an archive in NZ were assessed against the recommendations through content analysis.

Findings

The recommendations were classified into four main categories. These were promote ease of use, attract and sustain user interest, foster a community of users and show users that their work is contributing to the institution and society. The findings indicated that the sample of crowdsourcing projects assessed were generally successful at displaying the credibility and significance of their projects, and promoting their crowdsourced collections. Many of the projects could nevertheless benefit from providing further support to promoting dialogues and engagement with their users and contributors and sustaining offline community interaction.

Research limitations/implications

The content analysis conducted was focused on the functionality of design elements of the crowdsourcing platforms. The design recommendations derived from the analysis were intended as a starting point for discussion and they would need to be validated in further studies. Other relevant project information such as funding and staffing, promotion and outreach efforts were not solicited in this study. Such information could provide important contextualisation. Future research could take the form of in-depth case studies, including surveying those involved in the projects and stakeholders to investigate such contextual aspects of crowdsourcing projects.

Originality/value

Previous research on crowdsourcing in NZ CHIs consisted of single case studies. This study provides a wider snapshot and insights into digital crowdsourcing platforms from public NZ CHIs. The study findings have practical implications for project managers and Web designers involved in crowdsourcing projects, particularly those in the cultural heritage sector.