Classifying, Measuring, and Predicting Users’ Overall Active Behavior on Social Networking Sites

Abstract

Although understanding the role of users’ overall active behavior on a social networking site (SNS) is of significant importance for both theory and practice, the complexity and difficulty involved in measuring such behavior has inhibited research attention. To understand users’ active behaviors on an SNS, it is important that we identify and classify various types of online behaviors before measuring them. In this paper we holistically examine users’ active behaviors on an SNS. Toward this end, we conduct three studies. First, we classify active behaviors on an SNS into four categories using the Delphi method. Then, we develop a measurement model and validate it using the data collected from an online survey of 477 SNS users. The measures of the developed instrument exhibit satisfactory reliability and validity and are used as indicators of the latent constructs. This instrument is then used in a predictive model based on commitment theory and tested using data from 1,242 responses. The results of data analysis suggest that affective commitment and continuance commitment are good predictors of overall active behavior on an SNS. This study complements the existing research on social media, cocreation, and social commerce. Most important, this study provides a theoretically sound measurement instrument that addresses the complex characteristic of overall active behavior on an SNS and which should be useful for future research. The findings of this study have important implications for practice as they highlight managing and stimulating users’ active behaviors on an SNS.

Key words and phrases:

• Delphi study
• measurement model
• social media
• social networking site
• user commitment
• users’ active behavior

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the NSFC (71332001) and Prof. Yaobin Lu is the corresponding author of this paper.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aihui Chen

Aihui Chen is an assistant professor in the College of Management and Economics at Tianjin University, China. He obtained his Ph.D. at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China in 2014. His research focuses on social commerce, social networks, and electronic and mobile business. His research has been published in Journal of Information Technology, Journal of Business Research, and other journals.

Yaobin Lu

Yaobin Lu is a specially appointed professor in information systems and the associate dean of the School of Management at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China. He obtained his Ph.D at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 1997. His research interests include social commerce, mobile commerce, customer trust, electronic commerce, and related topics. He is the author of more than forty publications in various international journals, such as Decision Support Systems, Information Systems Journal, Information & Management, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Journal of Information Technology, and International Journal of Information Management. Yaobin Lu is the corresponding author of this paper.

Patrick Y.K. Chau

Patrick Y.K. Chau is the Padma and Hari Harilela Professor in Strategic Information Management at the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Hong Kong. He obtained his Ph.D. in business administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. His teaching and research interests are in management of information systems, electronic commerce, and research methodology. His work has appeared in3 leading information systems journals such as Journal of Management Information Systems, MIS Quarterly, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Decision Sciences, Decision Support Systems, Information & Management, and International Journal of Electronic Commerce.

Sumeet Gupta

Sumeet Gupta is chair of the Research Division at the Indian Institute of Management Raipur, India. He received his M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the National University of Singapore. He was associated with the Logistic Institute-Asia Pacific, Singapore as a research fellow and worked on several projects with the ASEAN Secretariat, DFS Gallerias, and SAP A.G., Walldorf, Germany. He is the author of more than fifty publications in leading international journals (Decision Support Systems, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, and others) and conference proceedings (ICIS, AMCIS, ECIS, PACIS, and others). He has also published many book chapters. His research interests include supply chain management and business analytics.