Testing an extended model of consumer behavior in the context of social media-based brand communities

Due to the benefits of brand community initiatives and the potential advantages of social media, many marketing managers made significant investments in building brand communities based on social media. A noticeable issue is how to measure the success of such investments in ways that are understandable and comparable to other marketing initiatives. To address this issue, it is essential to understand how social media-based brand communities influence customers' perceptions and behaviors. The purpose of this article is to develop and estimate an extended model of how different aspects of customers' relationships with such communities influence their perceptions and behaviors. The paper describes a way a customer's identification with a brand influences relationships with brand community elements, brand community markers, and ultimately brand relationship quality and brand loyalty. Then using a large sample of brand community members in social media and structural equation modeling, the authors estimate how social media-based brand communities influence brand relationship quality and brand loyalty. Managerial implications are discussed.     

The effects of social media based brand communities on brand community markers,value creation practices,brand trust and brand loyalty

Social media based brand communities are communities initiated on the platform of social media. In this article, we explore whether brand communities based on social media (a special type of online brand communities) have positive effects on the main community elements and value creation practices in the communities as well as on brand trust and brand loyalty. A survey based empirical study with 441 respondents was conducted. The results of structural equation modeling show that brand communities established on social media have positive effects on community markers (i.e., shared consciousness, shared rituals and traditions, and obligations to society), which have positive effects on value creation practices (i.e., social networking, community engagement, impressions management, and brand use). Such communities could enhance brand loyalty through brand use and impression management practices. We show that brand trust has a full mediating role in converting value creation practices into brand loyalty. Implications for practice and future research opportunities are discussed.     

The effects of interactive brand placements in online games on children’s cognitive,affective, and conative brand responses

This study investigated how persuasive messages integrated in an online game affects children’s cognitive, affective, and conative responses to the brand, as well as their attitude toward the game itself. An experiment conducted among 2453 girls between the ages of 11 and 17 demonstrated that confrontation with interactive brand placement in the game resulted in more positive attitudes toward the game, higher top of mind awareness of the brand, more positive brand images, and more favorable behavioral intentions. In addition, consistent with persuasion literature and theories on child development, this study showed that there was a three-way interaction effect between exposure to the brand placement, age, and prior brand use for behavioral intentions. The youngest girls who had no prior experience with the brand were more strongly influenced by the brand placement than the oldest girls who had no prior brand experience.     

Exploring the effect of user engagement in online brand communities: Evidence from Twitter

Social media such as forums, blogs and microblogs has been increasingly used for public information sharing and opinions exchange nowadays. It has changed the way how online community interacts and somehow has led to a new trend of engagement for online retailers especially on microblogging websites such as Twitter. In this study, we investigated the impact of online retailers' engagement with the online brand communities on users' perception of brand image and service. Firstly, we analysed the overall sentiment trends of different brands and the patterns of engagement between companies and customers using the collected tweets posted on a popular social media platform, Twitter. Then, we studied how different types of engagements affect customer sentiments. Our analysis shows that engagement has an effect on sentiments that associate with brand image, perception and customer service of the online retailers. Our findings indicate that the level, length, type and attitude of retailers' engagement with social media users have a significant impact on their sentiments. Based on our results, we derived several important managerial and practical implications.     

Firestorms: Modeling conflict diffusion and management strategies in online communities

This study aims to provide a better understanding of how organizations can manage public conflict and firestorms in social media spheres. We develop an agent-based simulation model of conflicts in firm-hosted online communities and find that a collaborating conflict management style characterized by high levels of cooperativeness and assertiveness helps to successfully handle conflict. However, the effectiveness of this collaborative style is highly dependent on contingency factors related to the participating individuals and the social structure within the community itself, such as the number of moderators and aggressors present in the community, their credibility, as well as the overall opinion of the community. Depending on these factors, collaborating and accommodating conflict management becomes more or less successful. Under some configurations it is even less effective than more competitive and assertive management styles. Therefore, to successfully handle conflict and restrain the escalation of a firestorm, organizations need to optimally adapt their conflict management style to varying conditions by considering individual-level and community-level characteristics.     

Consumer behavior in online game communities: A motivational factor perspective

The concept of online communities has been used to improve customers’ loyalty in recent years. While studies on transaction community such as online auction have received more attention in the literature, entertainment community such as online game has seldom been addressed. This study applies the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and modifies the technology acceptance model (TAM) to propose a research model. An empirical study involving 356 subjects was conducted to test this model. The results indicate that customer loyalty is influenced by perceived enjoyment, social norms and preference. Perceived cohesion has an indirect impact on loyalty. In addition, the finding’s practical implication suggests that community managers must overcome the problems users encounter, including suffering from an unstable system, malicious players and grief players.     

Association between Facebook addiction,self-esteem and life satisfaction: A cross-sectional study

In recent years, many research efforts have been focused on investigation of potential connection between social networking and mental health issues. Particularly important and controversial remains the association between Facebook use, self-esteem and life satisfaction. In our cross-sectional study, on a sample of 381 Facebook users, we tested the existence and strength of this relationship using Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS), Facebook Intensity Scale (FBI), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). With k-means cluster analysis, we divided the sample into 3 groups: ordinary, intensive, and addicted Facebook users. The results of our study show that ordinary Facebook users differ statistically in self-esteem and life satisfaction from both addicted and intensive users. Facebook addiction was in relation with lower self-esteem. Facebook addiction was also negatively related to life satisfaction. These results are in accordance with the previously published findings of other authors in the fields of social networking psychology and psychiatry.     

Interactive effects of individual- and group-level variables on virtual purchase behavior in online communities

Focusing on social network theories, we examine the interactive influence of both group-level (i.e. community influences) and individual-level variables (intrinsic and extrinsic motivations) simultaneously as the drivers of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) players’ virtual purchase behavior. We demonstrate that several aspects of real-world behavior are reflected in virtual purchase behavior. Notably, normative interpersonal influences and community identity are critical drivers and moderators of virtual purchases. Moreover, clear advancement and enjoyment opportunities offer important triggers for virtual purchase behavior. This study provides insights for game developers to increase virtual purchases, and identifies domain-specificity of each gaming platform.     

Explaining personality and contextual differences in beneficial role of online versus offline social support: A moderated mediation model

With more than three billion “Netizens” worldwide, online social support obtained through social networking sites (SNS) has a pervasive influence on their users’ affective experiences. Social support generally fosters affective well-being, but such support can also threaten some recipients’ self-esteem that compromises their affective well-being. However, little is known of whether (a) this self-esteem threat varied by the mode (i.e., online vs. offline) of supportive interactions, and (b) such variations were explained by public self-consciousness across distinct modes of supportive interactions. A moderated mediation model was formulated to test these hypothesized personality and contextual differences using a quasi-experimental design. The results revealed that the mode of supportive interactions moderated the relationship between self-esteem and public self-consciousness, indicating that individuals higher in self-esteem are less likely to feel exposed to the potentially unfavorable evaluations in online (vs. offline) supportive interactions. Moreover, the results showed that the heightened levels of public self-consciousness explained the positive link between self-esteem and negative affect in offline but not online supportive interactions, providing further evidence that social support obtained through SNS is likely superior to that obtained through face-to-face interactions.     

Social relationship on problematic Internet use (PIU) among adolescents in South Korea: A moderated mediation model of self-esteem and self-control

Despite previous research efforts on identifying the risk and protective factors of problematic Internet use (PIU), the specific mechanism among these factors are largely unknown. Thus, the present study examined the effect of adolescents’ social relationships on their PIU, as well as the effect of self-esteem as a mediator and the effect of self-control as a moderator. Survey data from 750 South Korean middle and high school students in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results are as follows. First, PIU is significantly associated with relationship with peers and with mother. Second, self-esteem did not mediate the effect of communication with mother on PIU, but was found to partially mediate the effect of peer relationship on PIU. Third, adolescents’ self-control significantly moderated the indirect effect of peer relationship on PIU via self-esteem. Through detailed analyses, this study identified self-esteem as a mediator and self-control as a moderator in the relationship between social relationships and PIU. Implications of these results for understanding the relationship among social relationships, self-esteem, self-control, and PIU are discussed.     

Engagement in online health communities: Channel expansion and social exchanges

This paper contributes to the discussion on patient engagement in online health communities (OHCs) by integrating channel expansion and social exchange theories. Using survey data from 348 users of OHC, we examine the impacts of perceived channel richness, social support, and willingness to exchange information on OHC engagement. Results show that the perceived channel richness positively influences OHC engagement. The effect of patients’ willingness to share and seek information on engagement is moderated by health status. Finally, engagement in OHCs enhances self-care efficacy and perceived health outcomes. We propose several theoretical implications for researchers and practical contributions for OHC administrators.     

Dual effects of social support seeking in patient-centric online healthcare communities: A longitudinal study

This study investigates exploratory and purposeful social support-seeking behaviors in the patient-centric online healthcare community (POHC). The antecedents and varying effects of the two behaviors on uncertainties in diagnosis and treatment are examined. Two rounds of field surveys are conducted among users in three POHCs. Findings indicate that exploratory and purposeful social support-seeking behaviors exert varying effects on the change in uncertainty in illness and are influenced differently by the perceived information credibility of users, their identification with a community, and the perceived severity of their illness.     

A cloud resource management model for the creation and orchestration of social communities

Managing resources, context and data in mobile clouds is a challenging task. Specific aspects of spontaneity, large interaction space and dynamic interaction share a metaphorical resemblance to chemistry, chemical reactions and solutions. In this paper, it is argued that by adopting a nature-inspired chemical computing model, a mobile cloud resource management model can be evolved to serve as the basis for novel service modelling and social computing in mobile clouds. To support the argument, a chemistry inspired computation model, Chemistry for Context Awareness (C₂A), is extended with Higher Order Chemical Language (HOCL) and High Level Petri-net Graph (HLPNG) formalisms. A scenario and simulation-based evaluation of the proposed model, focusing on two applications dynamic service composition and social communities identification, is also presented in this paper. The formal encoding of C₂A validates its assumptions, enabling formal execution and analysis of context-based interactions that are derived using C₂A principles.     

Parent marital conflict and Internet addiction among Chinese college students: The mediating role of father-child,mother-child,and peer attachment

Previous studies have emphasized the effect of parent marital conflict on youth's Internet addiction. However, few researchers have examined the mediating role of parent-child attachment and peer attachment between marital conflict and Internet addiction. To fill in this gap, this study aims to examine whether father-child, mother-child, and peer attachment play a mediating role between parent marital conflict and Internet addiction. This cross-sectional study included 450 college students in two Universities in China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to examine research questions. Results showed that Internet addiction was positively associated with marital conflict and negatively associated with peer attachment. Moreover, both mother-child and father-child attachment mediated the relationship between marital conflict and Internet addiction through peer attachment. To our knowledge, this was the first study examining the mediating role of parent-child and peer attachment between parent marital conflict and youth's Internet addiction. Our findings suggested that educational workers should pay more attention on the development of youth's parent-child and their peer attachment, because youth's attachment played an important role in youth's Internet addiction. Moreover, our findings emphasized that father and mother both important people on the development of youth's peer attachment, which may in turn influence youth's Internet addition.     

Reciprocity norms and information-sharing behavior in online consumption communities: An empirical investigation of antecedents and moderators

This study seeks a better understanding of information-sharing behavior in online consumption communities by investigating both the antecedents and moderating mechanisms of such behavior. Using self-reported data collected over two periods, along with objective behavioral data, the authors show that a reciprocity norm functions as a proximal determinant of information-sharing behavior. This norm also channels the effects of social, hedonic, and utilitarian community values on sharing behavior. The results reveal that the conversion of reciprocity norms into information-sharing behavior depends on individual and contextual conditions. These significant insights reflect the integration of consumer resource allocation theory with a reciprocity framework to establish an explanatory platform for members’ information-sharing behavior in online communities. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Antecedents and consequences of trust in a social media brand: A cross-cultural study of Twitter

This study extends brand relationship theory to the context of the microblogging platform Twitter. The authors investigate the impact of Twitter trust on users’ intentions to continue using the platform and to “follow” brands that are hosted on Twitter (the trust transfer phenomenon). They also explore the role of perceived self-Twitter personality match in strengthening trust towards the Twitter brand. A cross-cultural American–Ukrainian sample allows to identify potential culture-based differences in brand personality and brand trust concepts. The results show that the positive effect of trust in Twitter on its users’ patronage intentions is robust across two cultures with diverse history and ideology. An important novel finding is the influence of trust in Twitter on patronage intentions towards the businesses hosted on Twitter. However, this relationship reaches statistical significance only in the Ukrainian sample, signaling potential differences in the trust transfer processes in different cultures. The study confirms the role of similarity in personality traits between Twitter users and the Twitter brand in engendering trust in Twitter. The salience of different personality traits in the “personality match – Twitter trust” link for different cultures suggests important implications for global marketers.     

Profiling good Samaritans in online knowledge forums: Effects of affiliative tendency,self-esteem,and public individuation on knowledge sharing

Two studies investigated what motivates knowledge sharing in online knowledge forums. Based on the uses and gratifications model, we hypothesized that individuals would respond to information requests broadcast by unknown others to fulfill their needs for social interaction (affiliative tendency), to maintain a positive self-image (self-esteem), or to proclaim one’s uniqueness (public individuation). Consistent with the hypotheses, a web-based survey with current users of a public knowledge sharing site found that those with stronger affiliative tendency, higher self-esteem, or stronger public individuation were more likely to contribute to the open information repository (Study 1). However, a 2 (social presence: low vs. high) × 2 (recognition rewards: absent vs. present) between-subjects design experiment also showed that these psychological traits significantly enhanced individuals’ intention to share knowledge on a public web site, only when other users’ presence was rendered salient and individual contributions were visibly acknowledged (Study 2).     

Knowledge-sharing in virtual communities: familiarity,anonymity and self-determination theory

Although the role of motivation has been emphasised in knowledge-sharing literature, traditional motivation theories, such as self-determination theory (SDT), have not been actively used as a research framework in knowledge-sharing research. The purposes of this study are twofold. The first objective is to propose a model, based on SDT, to test the effect of the three basic psychological needs – perceived competence, perceived autonomy and perceived relatedness – on knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities. The second objective is to explore the effects of familiarity and anonymity on the basic psychological needs to better understand individuals’ knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities. The results show that perceived competence and perceived relatedness influence knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities; however, perceived autonomy does not influence knowledge-sharing behaviours; familiarity influences positively perceived competence and perceived relatedness, and anonymity influences negatively perceived autonomy and perceived relatedness.     

Toward a comprehensive theory of problematic Internet use: Evaluating the role of self-esteem,anxiety, flow,and the self-rated importance of Internet activities

Problematic Internet use (PIU) has long been a matter of public concern. Study 1 examined the correlates of a well-validated measure of Internet addiction [Young, K. S. (1998). Caught in the net. New York: John Wiley and Sons] with 315 students (39% male). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that low self-esteem, unrealistic optimism, and the importance of 7-positive activities (I7PA) all contributed to the prediction of PIU. The inclusion of controls for aspects of Internet uses and demographic characters showed a clear distinction between PIU and frequent Internet use. Subjects who anticipated that negative outcomes were more likely to happen to them than to peers were none-the-less more likely to engage in PIU. The more important positive activities were, the greater the PIU. SEM model suggested that unrealistic optimism was best treated as part of PIU and that low self-esteem and the I7PA were the powerful predictors of PIU. Study 2 tested SEM models of psychosocial characteristics with 279 students (48% male). Anxiety and flow were added as predictors and the felt safety for social contacts was added to Global PIU following Caplan [Caplan, S. E. (2002). Problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being: Development of a theory-based cognitive-behavioral measurement instrument. Computers in Human Behavior, 18, 553–575]. The more complex model provided excellent fit and showed that low self-esteem, anxiety, and the I7PA were positively related to PIU. The relationship both of flow and sensation-seeking was mediated by the 17PA. Research on the topic has been relatively atheoretical. We propose a theoretical template to guide future research on PIU.