Zhongyun Zhou

Individual motivations and demographic differences in social virtual world uses: An exploratory investigation in Second Life

Emerging social virtual worlds (SVWs) are attracting attention from researchers and practitioners for the potential benefits they offer to many real-life domains such as business and education. The values of SVWs cannot be realized without a sufficient number of users; however, little research has been conducted to investigate the factors attracting people to use SVWs. The purpose of this paper is to explore individual motivations and differences in SVW uses based on the uses and gratifications paradigm and on the literature of Internet uses. Content analysis is adopted to code and categorize the responses from 188 users in Second Life (SL), one of the most popular SVWs. Results show that people use SL because of three types of motivations: functional, experiential, and social. Comparative analysis by gender, age, education, and experience using Chi-square tests suggests that (1) female users are more inclined to shopping, researching, and exploring within SL, whereas male users are more concerned with using SL for making money; (2) younger users are more likely to use SL for entertainment, while older users are more likely to use SL for creating and education; (3) users with higher education exert significantly more effort with in-world research and education than those who with lower levels of education; and (4) relative to their counterparts, experienced users are more aware of the values of SL for creating, education, and commerce. No significant inter-group difference of any experiential motivation has been found regarding education and experience. In addition, no significant individual difference has been found regarding social motivations.

Why users keep answering questions in online question answering communities: A theoretical and empirical investigation

Abstract This study theorized and validated a model of knowledge sharing continuance in a special type of online community, the online question answering (Q&A) community, in which knowledge exchange is reflected mainly by asking and answering specific questions. We created a model that integrated knowledge sharing factors and knowledge self-efficacy into the expectation confirmation theory. The hypotheses derived from this model were empirically validated using an online survey conducted among users of a famous online Q&A community in China, “Yahoo! Answers China”. The results suggested that users’ intention to continue sharing knowledge (i.e., answering questions) was directly influenced by users’ ex-post feelings as consisting of two dimensions: satisfaction, and knowledge self-efficacy. Based on the obtained results, we also found that knowledge self-efficacy and confirmation mediated the relationship between benefits and satisfaction.

Moderating role of gender in the relationships between perceived benefits and satisfaction in social virtual world continuance

Previous studies on social virtual world (SVW) continuance have suggested that satisfaction, which promotes SVW continuance intention, is determined by three types of perceived benefits (i.e., utilitarian, hedonic, and social benefits). Moreover, the relative impacts of these benefits on satisfaction are contingent on individual difference factors such as gender. However, little (if any) research has systematically investigated the effects of these benefits on satisfaction simultaneously, and how these effects are moderated by gender, in the SVW context. Adopting the need fulfillment perspective as a guiding framework and extending the literature of gender differences in technology usage into the distinctive context of SVWs, this study investigates the effects of the three types of perceived benefits, moderated by gender, on satisfaction in relation to SVW continuance. The proposed hypotheses are supported by multigroup PLS analyses using empirical data collected from 464 users of Second Life, a typical SVW. Specifically, we find that utilitarian and social benefits are more important for female users in predicting satisfaction, whereas hedonic benefit has a more salient effect on satisfaction for male users. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications.

Effects of information technologies, department characteristics and individual roles on improving knowledge sharing visibility: a qualitative case study

Knowledge sharing visibility (KSV) is a critical environmental factor which can reduce social loafing in knowledge sharing (KS). This is especially true in ICT-based KS in learning organisations. As such, it is imperative that we better understand how to design technology enabled knowledge management systems (KMS) to support high KSV. This article examines the impact of knowledge management technology functions (e.g. tracking, knowledge storing) on KSV through qualitative analysis of 16 semi-structured interviews with participants in a Chinese company. Impact and implications of use for their existing KMS are examined. This article also examined the effects of department characteristics (i.e. group size and task characteristics) and individual roles (i.e. employee positions) on the IT–KSV relationship. Results encourage applied statistical, tracking, knowledge distribution and knowledge storing functions for monitoring explicit KS, and suggest integration of visualised knowledge maps with communication tools (e.g. Instant Messenger (IM)) to support visibility for implicit KS. Findings also suggest that KM technologies are more salient on improving KSV in large department with routine tasks, and that low-level employees may have more positive attitude on accepting communication tools on sharing knowledge. Extension to use of Web 2.0 technologies (e.g. weblogs) in KMS is also explored.

Chaos Theory as a Lens for Interpreting Blogging

Abstract: Blogging is becoming increasingly popular as a global phenomenon. Individual blog traffic and blogosphere structure are of interest to academia and practice. Although it is difficult to get a snapshot of the blogosphere with enough blogs over a long enough period to capture the real situation, chaos theory finds underlying order in this apparent random and complex phenomenon. This study provides an overall view of blogging from micro (individual blog traffic dynamics) and macro (blogosphere structure) levels through a chaos theory lens. Key concepts of chaos theory are used to construct an interpretive framework to illustrate blog system behavior dynamics. Blog systems tend to be nonlinear, dynamic, and deterministic, as well as sensitive to initial conditions. The study also demonstrates the feasibility of applying chaos theory thinking to areas such as knowledge management and the recent global financial crisis. Implications for practice and research opportunities are presented.

Toward a theory of perceived benefits, affective commitment, and continuance intention in social virtual worlds: cultural values (indulgence and individualism) matter

In this study we examine the contingent effects of two cultural values, indulgence and individualism, on the relationships between perceived benefits (utilitarian value, hedonic value, and relational capital), affective commitment, and continuance intention in social virtual worlds. We test our theoretical model in multi-group analyses using SmartPLS 2.0, based on a sample of 414 Second Life users from the U.S.A., Great Britain, and numerous other countries. By comparing the high- vs the low-indulgence subsamples, we find that indulgence weakens the effect of utilitarian value, but strengthens the effect of hedonic value, on affective commitment. Furthermore, compared with low-individualism users, the users with high-individualism showed a weaker effect of relational capital on affective commitment, as well as a weaker effect of affective commitment on continuance intention. The theoretical, empirical, and practical implications of these findings are also discussed.

The influence of affective cues on positive emotion in predicting instant information sharing on microblogs

An impulsive-based model is proposed to explain instant information sharing.Information uniqueness and social interactivity increase positive emotion and urge.Males are stimulated by information uniqueness and information crowding.Social interactivity plays a dominant role in sparking the urge for female users.Males experience more positive emotion and engage in impulsive information sharing. Instant information sharing on microblogs is important for promoting social awareness, influencing customer attitudes, and providing political and economic benefits. However, research on the antecedents and mechanisms of such instant information sharing is limited. To address that issue, this study develops a research model to investigate the factors (affective cues in particular) that drive users to instantly share information on microblogs and explores the moderating role of gender. An online survey was conducted on a microblogging platform to collect data for testing the proposed research model and hypotheses. The results confirm the positive effects of informational (i.e., information uniqueness), ambient (i.e., information crowding), and social (i.e., social interactivity) cues on individuals positive emotion, which subsequently promotes their urge to share information on microblogs. Moreover, the moderating effects of gender are identified. This study contributes to the understanding of instant information sharing from an impulsive behavior perspective. The results also provide important insights for service providers and practitioners who wish to promote instant information sharing on microblogs.

Influence of traits and emotions on boosting status sharing through microblogging

ABSTRACT Disclosing status information through microblogging can facilitate effective and efficient electronic word-of-mouth marketing. Therefore, we should understand why people share status information and why certain pieces of content are being shared more often than others. This study adopted an impulsive perspective to investigate status-sharing behaviour in microblogs, which is more spontaneous and unplanned compared with that displayed in traditional virtual communities. Specifically, this study developed a theoretical model to investigate the association among personality traits, emotions, and urge to share status through microblogging. The research model was empirically validated by conducting an online survey among the users of a prevalent microblogging service in China. These users’ urge to share their status was influenced by their personality traits and emotions. Moreover, people with a high level of sharing impulsiveness were inclined to generate negative emotions, whereas those with a high level of inherent novelty seeking could easily induce positive emotions.