Understanding how to motivate behaviral intention to lurk in virtual communities:An integrative perspective of Social Exchange Theory and Flow Theory

• Main Authors: Chih-ying Lin, 林芷瑩
• Other Authors: Ing-Long Wu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/96118754409336347596

碩士 === 國立中正大學 === 資訊管理所暨醫療資訊管理所 === 98 === The Internet has led to a proliferation of virtual communities all over the world. Exchanging information and knowledge inside virtual communities has dramatically changed our lives. We can comprehend the importance of virtual communities from “Top 100 Websites in 2010” in Taiwan which published by “Business Next”, virtual communities occupied 1/4 in the list. According to Armstrong and Hagel III（1996）, content richness of the virtual community is the key determinant that attracts users. However, previous studies indicate that lurkers who post occasionally or not at all make up over 90% of virtual communities, only 10% are posters who post frequently (Katz, 1998; Nonnecke & Preece, 2000). Therefore, how to motivate the ‘silent majority’ to post actively is significant for the development and existence of virtual communities. This study attemps to understand how to motivate behaviral intention to lurk in virtual communities. The model employs social exchange theory as extinsic motivation, and flow theory as intinsic motivation. Through an online survey of 496 valid samples. The results reveal that, in the aspect of extinsic motivation, opportunity cost has a negative impact on behavioral intention to lurk. Besides, reciprocity has a positive impact on behavioral intention to lurk. However, reputation and external reward do not appear to impact behavioral intention to lurk. In the aspect of intrinsic motivation, enjoyment, control and curiosity have a positive impact on behavioral intention to lurk, whereas concentration do not have impact on behavioral intention to lurk.