Why People Check In to Social Network Sites

ABSTRACT

Although check-in behavior has developed rapidly in recent years, the reasons why people share location-related information and the activities they are engaged in have not been adequately investigated. The primary objective of this study is to develop and refine a conceptual framework from social word-of-mouth motivations and the mobile perspective to provide a theoretical understanding of the motivations that induce consumers to engage in check-in behavior. The results show that the social condition (e.g., tie strength, subjective norms, expressiveness, social support, and information sharing) play the most critical role in motivating people to engage in check-in behavior. In addition, the perceptual (e.g., perceived social benefit, perceived enjoyment, and perceived value) and consumption-based conditions (such as customer satisfaction and communicator involvement) also motivate people to engage in check-in behavior and to disseminate their consumption experiences by using mobile devices. The results provide certain theoretical and practical implications for marketing practitioners in their planning of new marketing strategies to attract consumer attention, and will contribute to a better understanding of check-in behavior.

KEY WORDS AND PHRASES:

• Electronic word of mouth
• eWoM
• m-commerce
• mobile commerce
• motivation
• online check-in
• online disclosure
• social sharing

Additional information

Funding

This research was sponsored by the National Science Council of Taiwan, under the project number NSC 102-2410-H-011-012.

Notes on contributors

Pin Luarn

PIN LUARN is a professor in the School of Management, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. He received his Ph.D. in industrial engineering from the University of Wisconsin. His research interests include e-commerce, Internet marketing, and social network services. He has published in Online Information Review, Computers in Human Behavior, Internet Research, Information Development, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, and other journals.

Jen-Chieh Yang

JEN-CHIEH YANG is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Business Administration, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. His research focuses on communication, social ties, and social media. He has published in Computers in Human Behavior.

Yu-Ping Chiu

YU-PING CHIU ([email protected], Corresponding author) received his Ph.D. from the Department of Business Administration at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. His research focuses on user behavior in online social networks, computer-mediated communication, electronic word of mouth, and mobile commerce. He has published in Online Information Review, Computers in Human Behavior, Internet Research, Information Development, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, and other journals.