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Intrinsic motivations and Electronic Word of Mouth Communication through
Social Network Sites: Openness to Experince as A Moderater
ABSTRACT: In the last decade, social media have attracted much attention in different industries
contexts such as digital advertising. Marketing managers keep inducing consumers’ to generate a
positive electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) about their products or services on social network sites
(SNSs). Effective assortments of those factors that enhance individual’s engagement in online
conversion on SNSs about specific products or services, is key success to growth. This conceptual
paper aims to find out the impact of psychological factors on individuals engagement in e-WOM
communication with the moderating effect of personality traits. Relevant studies have been perused
and in view of that, the model was proposed. Based on the literature, psychological factors such as
reputation and altruism play vital role in terms of users’ engagement in e-WOM communication. This
paper also proposed that personal traits of SNSs users such as openness to experience moderate the
relationship between these psychological factors and users’ engagement in such behavior.
Keywords: Social network sites, electronic word of mouth, personality traits
INTRODUCTION
There is no doubt that Social network sites have
revolutionized the life of many people, allow
them to create their own profiles and maintain
limitless relationships with others. SNSs are webbased communication applications that support
our social interactions with others in different
ways (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2011). These
platforms provide individuals with capability to
share any preferences, or product-related
information with many contacts as well as
opportunity for organization to take advantage of
e-WOM communications (Trusov, Bucklin, &
Pauwels, 2009). SNSs have become a new
component of marketing communications tools
that allow firms to make strong relationship with
consumers (Mangold & Faulds, 2009). The
emergence of these web-based platforms has
facilitated the development of e-WOM
communication (Chu & Kim, 2011). Electronic
word of mouth has been defined as ‘any positive
or negative statement made by potential, actual,
or former customers about a product or company,
which is made available to a multitude of people
and institutions via the Internet’ (Hennig‐Thurau,
Gwinner, Walsh, & Gremler, 2004, p. 39).
According to Nielsen online survey, 84 percent of
total respondents across 58 countries indicated
that word of mouth recommendations from
friends and family, are the most influential and
trustworthy form of advertising (Nielsen, 2013).
This result clearly explains consumers’ reliance
on
recommendation from others in their
purchase decisions. However, with the higher
social presence and enormous participants of
SNSs (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010), firms should
incorporate these platforms as integral part of
their marketing strategy. On other hand,
researchers need to investigate what makes
consumers more encouraged to engage in online
activities such as e-WOM communications
through SNSs.
Prior researches have investigated the
determinants of consumers’ engagement in eWOM from different point of view focusing on
online consumers’ opinion –platforms and firms
websites. However, due to the diverse nature of
SNSs users might be encouraged by different
stimulating factors. To date, the determinants of
users’ engagement in e-WOM communication
through social network sites have received limited
attention. Hence, and in response to the
importance of SNSs as effective communication
tool with consumers it is necessary to find out the
most influential factors on users involvement in
information exchange behavior. This study
proposed a model, which is, explain users’
engagement based on psychological factors,
specifically their reputation, altruism, and the
moderating effect of users’ personality traits
(openness to experience). In the second section,
this paper addresses the theoretical background
and the research model.
THEORITCAL BACKGROUND
In the last decade and due to the overwhelming
increase of individuals’ engagement in social
media, organization started to launch their
promotions campaign through these platforms
such as SNSs. This change has urged researchers
to seek behind the motivations that enhance
users’ engagement in e-WOM communication.
Individuals who have stronger intention to
engage in a behavior they are more likely to
perform it (Ajzen, 1991). In general, this study
focus on the motivational part, a scientific review
of the existing studies on this part can help to
identify the most prominent factors regarding
individuals’ engagements as well as it can help to
spot the potential gap in literature. This section
presents prior research on e-WOM.
Prior Research on e-WOM: Prior researches
have utilized many approaches to investigate
what enhance individuals’ engagement in WOM
communication through online sitting. For
instance, Hennig‐Thurau et al. (2004) identified
eleven factors that stimulate individuals
engagement in such behavior (concern for other,
help the company, social benefits, exerting
power,
advice-seeking,
self-enhancement,
economic rewards, convenience, problemsolving, expressing positive emotions and venting
negative feelings). Tong, Wang, and Teo (2007)
investigated individuals motives to contribute in
online venues from other perspective; cognitive
and executional cost, enjoyment in helping others,
self-enhancement, and reward. While some of
researchers build their models base on social
exchange theory some of them have employed
social capital components (structural, relational,
and cognitive) as a determinant of users
engagement in information exchange behavior
(Chiu, Hsu, & Wang, 2006; Chang & Chuang,
2011; Choi & Scott, 2013; Chu & Kim, 2011).
For instance, Chu and Kim (2011) found that the
relational factors are the most influential
determent on users engagement in e-WOM
communication through social network sites.
Similarly, Choi and Scott (2013) indicated that
social relational factors such as trust an sense of
community positively associated with users
intention to share the knowledge with others. In
other hand, some researchers have identified
individuals’ motivation based on the perspective
of public good. According, Cheung and Lee
(2012) identified four main categories that might
explain consumers engagement in online
consumer-opinion
platforms:
egoism,
collectivism, altruism, and principle.
Most of these studies were conducted in webbased opinions platform such as OpenRice.com,
where consumers mostly just login looking for
advice. On the contrary, of social network sites
where
participants
skim
their
profiles
permanently, articulate themselves in various
communities and share mutual preference. For
instance, Chu and Kim (2011) suggested that
SNSs users might be engaged in e-WOM
behavior because they wish to maintain social
relationships with their personal networks. In
sum, the unique nature of social network sites
provide users with many features and distinct
social environment (French & Read, 2013),
thereby, factors that enhance individuals’
engagement in e-WOM communication could be
also different.
Even though relevant researches that examined
key drivers of e-WOM communication in social
network sites have only focused on the social
capital effect (Chu & Kim, 2011; Choi & Scott,
2013; Wang, Yeh, Chen, & Tsydypov, 2016).
However, users’ of these applications might be
encouraged for different reasons such as intrinsic
motivations (reputation and altruism). Moreover,
literature review have shown very little attention
regarding personality traits and knowledge
sharing behavior through social network sites
(Zhong, Hardin, & Sun, 2011; Jadin, Gnambs, &
Batinic, 2013; Osatuyi, 2015). This study pays
more attention for the moderating effect of
personal characteristics as a determinant of users’
engagement in e-WOM communication.
Intrinsic Motivations
One of the most appropriate theory that can be
used to understand individuals’ behavior is social
exchange theory (Cook & Whitmeyer, 1992).
According to this theory people in any action
aims to maximize their benefits and reduce the
cost (Molm, 1997). In this paper, users’
engagement in e-WOM communication can be
regarded as social exchange behavior as they can
share any product-related information with future
expectations such as social status (reputation)
and enjoyment of helping others (altruism).
Reputation: Individuals aim to achieve
intangible returns such as social status or
reputation through different behaviors. One of
those behaviors is to share information with
others (Constant, Kiesler, & Sproull, 1994; Tong
et al., 2007; Cheung & Lee, 2012). People share
their knowledge or information to obtain
recognitions and social status by showing
themselves as experts (Wasko & Faraj, 2005). In
the online environment reputation has much
stronger effect because of the larger amount of
participant and the long lasting of any
contribution (Kankanhalli, Tan, & Wei, 2005).
Therefore, social network sites substantially
enhance individual’s ability to be in touch with
huge number of users as they can make different
actions. Similarly, it has been found that
consumers might be engaged in e-WOM
communication as means to improve their
reputation among other consumers (Engel,
Blackwell, & Miniard, 1993; Hennig‐Thurau et
al., 2004).
Previous research indicated the positive
association of reputations and individuals’
engagement in any type of information exchange
(Chang & Chuang, 2011; Kankanhalli et al.,
2005). In addition, researchers suggested social
status as a prominent motive for e-WOM
communication (Wojnicki & Godes, 2004;
Cheung & Lee, 2012; Sundaram, Mitra, &
Webster, 1998). However, with the distinct
features of SNSs compare to other online
platforms, users are more interested in their
reputation and might be engaged in any actions
that improve their social status. Hence, this paper
and based on the above mentioned proposed the
following hypothesis:
H1: Reputation is positively associated with
users’ engagement in e-WOM communication
through SNSs.
Altruism: an enjoyment in helping others refers
to the intrinsic satisfaction caused by any effort to
improve other people’s benefits without
expectancy for future returns (Smith, 1981). This
behavior more likely to happen when individuals
perceive their actions beneficial for others (Engel
et al., 1993). In terms of e-WOM communication,
consumer share his experience with a specific
product as attempt to help others or to avoid them
from bad experience (Hennig‐Thurau et al.,
2004). The important of e-WOM stem from its
credibility since the consumers have no vested
interest and its availability for many consumers
unlike other form of advertising. People presume
that providing an information about products help
consumers in their purchase decision (Wang,
Teo, & Wei, 2005).
Many studies have confirmed altruism as a
vigorous determinant of consumers’ engagement
in e-WOM communication through consumer
opinion platforms (Hennig‐Thurau et al., 2004;
Tong et al., 2007). With the different nature of
social network sites high interactive environment,
users also might be engaged in e-WOM
communication to fill their physiological need
such as enjoyment of helping other. Accordingly,
this paper proposed the following hypothesis:
H1: Altruism is positively associated with users’
engagement in e-WOM communication through
SNSs
Personliaty Traits
In the last decades personality traits have played
important role in different research context
(Funder, 2006). According Pervin (1993)
personality is “a set of relatively enduring
behavioral responses and internal predispositions
that characterize how a person reacts to the
environment’. Research found Personality
strongly associated with many workplace
predictors such as performance (Barrick &
Mount, 1991), satisfactions (Judge & Bono,
2001), and trust (Mooradian, Renzl, & Matzler,
2006). Recently, research found personality as a
vital determinant of knowledge sharing behavior
in both face to face (Matzler, Renzl, Müller,
Herting, & Mooradian, 2008; Matzler, Renzl,
Mooradian, von Krogh, & Mueller, 2011) and
online environment (Jadin et al., 2013; Chen,
Chen, Chen, Chen, & Yu, 2013). One of the most
important structures describes individuals
personality is the Big Five Model (extraversion,
consciousness, neuroticism, agreeableness and
openness to experience). Research have
recognized this model as the most efficient
personality structure to clarify individuals’
differences (McAdams & Pals, 2006; Poropat,
2009). With the social nature of openness to
experience trait (Witt, Burke, Barrick, & Mount,
2002), which is in line with SNSs purpose it
would be reasonable to investigated this traits as
predictor for certain behavior such as engagement
in e-WOM communication through SNSs.
Openness to experience: refers to the traits of
imaginative, cultured, curious, originality, broadminded, intelligent, and artistically sensitive
(Costa & MacCare, 1992). People with high level
of openness show more curiosity to the worlds
and more likely to involve with new ideas,
usually they have experience in both positive and
negative emotions more than those with low level
(Costa & MacCare, 1992; McCrae & Costa Jr,
1997). Moreover, researchers demonstrated that
individuals who are highly open more positive in
their attitude, flexible and inclined to learn new
things (Digman, 1990; Costa & MacCare, 1992).
Accordingly, researchers assumed that the
different levels between individuals in openess
could reflect their engagement in a certain
behavior. For instance, Cabrera, Collins, and
Salgado (2006) found that pepole curiosity and
originality which reflect their levels of openness
is a strong predictor of knowledge sharing
behavior, since they display more tendency for
giving advice and seek for others insights. While
openess could result in high level of experince
prior studies (Wasko & Faraj, 2005; Constant,
Sproull, & Kiesler, 1996) suggested that,
individuals’ who recognized themselves as expert
more encourged to contribute their knowledge
with others.
These evedinces clearly domnstreted the vital
role of the level of persons oepnness in terms of
knowledge sharing behavior. Due to the essential
effect of personal dispositions regarding
knowledge sharing behavior (Matzler et al.,
2008). This study aims to extent this assumption
of the relationship between openness and
knowledge sharing behavior in online context,
especially e-WOM communcation through SNSs.
In addition, previous studies have considered
personality traits as a determinant of internet use
(Wang, Jackson, Wang, & Gaskin, 2015;
Özgüven & Mucan, 2013; Zhong et al., 2011).
This study propose that personal characteristic
such as openness to experince would also predict
interactions behaviors such as users’ engagment
in e-WOM communication through SNSs.
Therefor the fowlloing hypotheses is prposed
H3: Openess to experince moderate the
relationship between intrinsic motivations and
users engagment in e-WOM communication
through SNSs.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The research framework depicted in Fig.1. Users’
engagement in e-WOM communications through
SNSs is the dependent variable. The two intrinsic
motivations (reputation and altruism) were
proposed to have a positive effect on users’
engagement. In addition, openness to experience
assumed as a moderator in the relationships
between intrinsic motivations and users
engagement.
Figure 1: Research Framework
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, social network sites have made a
vital communication medium. These mediums
allow users’ to access unlimited profiles of other
participants and share their experience with
products or services in different ways such as
“like”, comment, and share. However,
Individuals’ might be engaged in e-WOM
communication for many reasons like
psychological needs and social capital factors. In
addition, and based on intensive review of
literatures, it also found that personal
characteristics could play important role in such
behaviors. This research proposed that users’
engagement in e-WOM communication through
SNSs related to their intrinsic motivations,
specifically reputation and altruism. Moreover,
this research proposed that individual’s level of
openness to experience moderate the relationship
between their intrinsic motivations and actual
engagement in e-WOM communication through
SNSs.
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