Understanding User Intention to Share Information in Online Social Shopping Communities: the Moderating effect of Community Equity

Online social shopping community has substantially changed the way organizations, communities, and individuals communicate. The advance of online social shopping communities facilitates individuals to share and exchange consumption related information. In this study, we attempt to address the question of why individuals intend to share information in social shopping communities. Despite the growing popularity of social shopping communities, theoretical understanding of information sharing in this new form of social media remains unknown. We extend prior knowledge sharing literature into the context of online social shopping communities, and to examine the impacts of psychological motivations on user intention to share information. In addition, we explore the moderating role of community equity in the relationship between psychological motivations and user intention to share information. Analyses of survey data of 1089 users from an online social shopping community confirm our hypotheses. This study not only enriches our theoretical understanding of information sharing in this new social media, but also provides guidelines for online social shopping community administrators to better design their community features.