Underpinnings of user participation in service provider hosted online communities

Abstract

The recent emergence of social media-based brand communities is seen as an effective channel for practicing user-centric service innovation. However, user participation is the major hurdle in their sustainability. Despite the growing popularity of these brand communities, there has been only limited research examining the factors affecting user intention to continue using these communities. Teenagers represent an important demographic group, not only as the dominant users, but also in their value and potential in contributing toward successful business. To date, no previous research has investigated the participation behaviour of teenagers in these communities. To address this research gap, the present study examines the factors affecting teenagers' intention to continue participating in Facebook-based brand communities. The roles of social and individual factors in the formulation of their attitudes to participation are examined. The relationship between users' attitudes, activity levels, and continuation intentions are explored. The study findings suggest that self-efficacy, hedonic motivation, reciprocal benefit, and social influence have a positive impact on user attitude. Among these, self-efficacy has the strongest influence. Furthermore, attitude, continuation intention, and activity levels are significantly related. The findings have implications for organisations intending to use social media-based brand communities to practice user-centric service innovation.