Participation Behavior in Social Networking Site Communities: An Empirical Study Based on Social Exchange and Social Capital Theory

Social networking site (SNS) communities provide a popular social environment in which people interact through sharing resources such as ideas, information, and advice for their mutual interests. Despite the growing importance of these communities, this area is less focused, therefore, further research is needed to shed new light on understanding the factors determine individual’s participation intention and actual behavior in SNS communities. The study developed and validated a research model adopting social exchange and social capital theory. Data were collected by online survey with a self-administered questionnaire and a structural equation model is used to test the hypothetical relationships. The results found that social exchange dimensions; perceived reciprocity, perceived benefits (e.g., utilitarian, hedonic, and social), and social capital dimensions (e.g., tie strength and trust) are positively associated with participation intention, which in turn affect participation behavior in SNS communities. This study also examines the moderating effects of exchange ideology in the relationship between perceived reciprocity, perceived benefits, and participation intention and found the negative moderating effect in the relationship between perceived reciprocity and participation intention. However, individual exchange ideology has no direct effect on participation intention in SNS communities.