Can online buddies and bandwagon cues enhance user participation in online health communities?

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dc.contributor.authorKim, Hyang-Sook
dc.contributor.authorSundar, S. Shyam
dc.contributor.departmentTowson University. Department of Mass Communicationen_US
dc.date.accessioned2022-04-11T18:15:14Z
dc.date.available2022-04-11T18:15:14Z
dc.date.issued2014-08
dc.description.abstractIndividuals are more likely to obtain information and support from online health communities than offer help to other users (Fox & Jones, 2009; Preece, Nonnecke, & Andrews, 2004). The current study attempts to resolve this problem of under-contribution by proposing two theory-based persuasive strategies—a specific request in the form of an online buddy and collective community feedback in the form of bandwagon cues. A 2 (online buddy: absence vs. presence) by 2 (bandwagon cues: weak vs. strong) between-participants experiment tested the effects of these strategies on psychological outcomes, including perceived responsibility, social presence, sense of community, and perceived helpfulness, as well as their posting attitudes, posting intentions, and website attitudes, across two sessions. Contrary to expectations, we found that the assignment of online buddies in a health community forum leads to negative psychological and behavioral consequences, especially in the absence of strong community feedback. Furthermore, the online buddy feature interacts with bandwagon cues to activate different cognitive processes, leading to differential interpretation of the meanings of those bandwagon cues—either as compliments (in the presence of online buddy) or as unreliable feedback (in the absence of online buddy). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.en_US
dc.description.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.039en_US
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.format.extent25 pagesen_US
dc.genrejournal articlesen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/m29adc-szcm
dc.identifier.citationKim, H-S., & Sundar S.S. (2014). Can online buddies and bandwagon cues enhance user participation in online health communities? Computers in Human Behavior, 37, 319-333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.039en_US
dc.identifier.issn0747-5632
dc.identifier.uri10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.039
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/24530
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherElsevieren_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtTowson University
dc.relation.isAvailableAtTowson University
dc.relation.ispartofseriesComputers in Human Behavior;volume 37
dc.subjectOnline communitiesen_US
dc.subjectUser participationen_US
dc.subjectOnline buddyen_US
dc.subjectBandwagon cuesen_US
dc.subjectGroup facilitationen_US
dc.subjectSense of communityen_US
dc.titleCan online buddies and bandwagon cues enhance user participation in online health communities?en_US
dc.typeTexten_US
dcterms.creatorhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5650-5505en_US

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