Internet Research最新文献

Purpose

Social media-based brand communities (SMBBCs) have emerged as one of the most significant marketing tools due to their ability to create and maintain close relationships between SMBBCs and consumers. However, past studies have ignored intimacy toward SMBBCs, particularly the role of individual variances in their development. Researchers have revealed the significant impacts of individual differences in attachment styles on the development of brand–consumer relationships based on attachment theory. Accordingly, this study aims to explore the drivers of intimacy toward SMBBCs from the perspective of attachment theory.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examines a proposed model that integrates two attachment styles – attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety – self-disclosure on social media and intimacy toward SMBBCs through two samples in the context of brands’ Facebook fan pages.

Findings

The results show that attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety have significantly negative and positive effects on self-disclosure on social media, respectively, which contribute to intimacy toward SMBBCs.

Practical implications

The results offer brand managers significant implications for segmenting markets and developing relationship marketing strategies for their brand communities on social media.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt to explore the driving factors of intimacy toward SMBBCs from the attachment theory perspective.

Purpose

The emergence of live streaming commerce has injected promising impetus into rural development and attracted many rural streamers. This study aims to explore the influencing factors of rural streamers’ engagement intentions to help promote the sustainable development of rural live streaming commerce.

Design/methodology/approach

Grounded in the extended valence framework, this research employs a mixed-methods approach encompassing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. In the qualitative phase, the authors conduct in-depth interviews with 15 rural streamers, employing data coding techniques to uncover underlying factors. Subsequently, in the quantitative phase, the authors analyze survey data from 282 rural streamers, subjecting hypotheses to validation through structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings derived from the analysis of both interviews and questionnaires reveal that several platform qualities, including platform rural-aiding support, perceived effectiveness of dispute resolution, perceived interactivity and platform reputation, have a positive effect on trust in the platform and validate the extended valence framework in understanding rural streamers’ live streaming intention. In addition, ties with customers have a moderating effect. Specifically, the stronger the ties with customers, the stronger the positive effect of perceived benefits and the weaker the positive effect of trust in the platform on live streaming intention will be.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the rural live streaming commerce literature and trust research from the sellers’ perspective and provides practical implications for policymakers and live streaming platform managers on enhancing rural streamers’ participation.

Purpose

E-commerce companies employ deceptive techniques known as dark patterns (DPs) to manipulate customer decisions on online platforms. DPs are known to annoy and generate negative emotions in the consumers, which might be detrimental to a brand. Consequently, this study examines the influence of DPs on brand experience (BE) and consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) from the lens of stimulus-organism-response theory in an e-commerce organization.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data was obtained from 419 respondents who frequently make transactions on e-commerce platforms. Subsequently, the authors used partial least squares-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) via the R programming language to analyze the relationships.

Findings

It was found that DPs negatively impact the BE and CBBE of an e-commerce firm. Furthermore, BE positively impacts CBBE as well as mediates the relationship between DPs and CBBE. Additionally, no significant moderating influence of shopping frequency was discovered for the relation between DPs and BE.

Research limitations/implications

The study investigates the connection between DPs, BE and CBBE in a general e-commerce context. Results may differ across specialized e-commerce sectors.

Practical implications

The study’s insights could motivate e-commerce managers to reevaluate their use of DPs. The study could help online platforms reorganize their business strategies and adopt a customer-centric approach, which might create a long-term positive relationship with customers. The results might spark discussions over redressing customer relations after previous exploitation via DPs.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to empirically assess the impact of DPs on crucial brand parameters like BE and CBBE.

Purpose

Social networks can not only mobilize individuals for collective action but also pose risks, potentially leading to political challenges and societal unrest. Information consumption varies across platforms, with platform characteristics influencing user interactions and information sharing; yet this has received limited attention in scholarly literature. Acknowledging platform-specific differences, this paper seeks to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms driving information diffusion on social networks in the context of geopolitical tensions.

Design/methodology/approach

The structural communication features on Twitter and Reddit are explored using schema theory and the concept of social media platform schema. Comparisons are drawn with social network analysis and content analysis of communication dynamics surrounding geopolitical tensions in India–Qatar relations, followed by the context of geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan.

Findings

The results illustrate how content-based connections on Reddit foster closer ties within subreddits but less connectivity between them, contrasting with Twitter’s profile-based connections. These distinct characteristics lead to varied information diffusion patterns and shape the diversity of opinions, influencing community structures and affecting the emotional tenor of discourse.

Originality/value

Social networks can potentially influence geopolitical events, but focusing on one platform overlooks differences in how information spreads and the influence each platform holds. Recognizing this, our comparative analysis of social networks’ structural attributes highlights their crucial roles in shaping user engagement and information diffusion. It lends theoretical support to the notion of social media platform schema with empirical insights into how users’ perceptions of these schemas impact thematic and emotional differences in platform discourse related to geopolitical tensions.

Purpose

Human–agent interaction (HAI) is increasingly influencing our personal and work lives through the proliferation of conversational agents (CAs) in various domains. As such, these agents combine intuitive natural language interactions by also delivering personalization through artificial intelligence capabilities. However, research on CAs as well as practical failures indicates that CA interaction oftentimes fails miserably. To reduce these failures, this paper introduces the concept of building common ground for more successful HAIs.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a systematic literature analysis, we identified 38 articles meeting the eligibility criteria. We critically reviewed this body of knowledge within a formal narrative synthesis structured around the use of common ground in the interaction with CAs.

Findings

Based on the systematic review, our analysis reveals five mechanisms for achieving common ground: embodiment, social features, joint action, knowledge base and mental model of conversational agent. We point out the relationships between these mechanisms as they are related to each other in directional and bidirectional ways.

Research limitations/implications

Our findings contribute to theory with several implications for CA research. First, we provide implications about the organization of common ground mechanisms for CAs. Second, we provide insights into the mechanisms and nomological network for achieving common ground when interacting with CAs. Third, we provide a broad research agenda for future CA research that centers around the important topic of common ground for HAI.

Originality/value

We offer novel insights into grounding mechanisms and highlight the potentials when considering common ground in different HAI processes. Consequently, we secure further understanding and deeper insights of possible mechanisms of common ground to shape future HAI processes.

Purpose

Social media communities contain like-minded members who disclose opinions about various topics that are important to them. These communities often function as echo chambers, filter bubbles or separate spaces for users to share conforming opinions and discredit others deliberately. In extreme cases, they build their alternative reality with limited information that can lead to real-world action, as seen in the storming of the capitol. Therefore, we need to better understand the mechanisms of opinion disclosure in such communities.

Design/methodology/approach

We base our research on the spiral of silence theory to understand both trait-based and state-based fear of isolation as the mechanism that prevents opposing opinions in three scenarios focusing on topics dominating the mainstream US media landscape at that time: immigration, presidential election and COVID-19. We recruited 164 participants from an online research platform and analyzed the data using structural equation modeling.

Findings

Our results reveal empirical evidence that state-based fear of isolation prompts community members to express agreement and support for the community’s opinion, regardless of their views. We show that hot-button issues impose an even greater danger of establishing an environment in online communities that becomes an echo chamber of filter bubbles.

Originality/value

The spiral of silence theory provides a fine-grained understanding of the concept of fear of isolation, which was either used as a trait or as a state. Furthermore, we go beyond the initial hypotheses of the spiral of silence and show that within online communities, members stay silent and start to argue against their own opinions.

Purpose

Although prior research has employed various variables to predict player churn, the dynamic evolution of the behavioral patterns of players has received limited attention. In this study, churn prediction models are developed by incorporating the progress level, in-game purchase, social interaction, behavioral pattern and behavioral variability (BV) of players in social casino games (SCGs). The study distinguishes churn prediction between two player groups: monetizers and non-monetizers.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs three machine learning techniques—logistic regression, decision trees and random forests—using real-world player data from an SCG company to construct churn prediction models. Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, BV was combined with four other variable categories to effectively predict churn behaviors across all players (n = 52,246). In Experiment 2, churn prediction models were developed separately for monetizers (n = 16,628) and non-monetizers (n = 35,618).

Findings

The findings from Experiment 1 indicate that incorporating BV significantly improves the overall performance of churn prediction models. Experiment 2 demonstrates that churn prediction models achieve better performance and predictive accuracy for monetizers and non-monetizers when BV is calculated over the 3-day to 7-day and 7-day to 14-day windows, respectively.

Originality/value

This study introduces BV as a novel variable category for churn prediction, emphasizing within-person variability and demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing model performance. Churn prediction models were independently constructed for monetizers and non-monetizers, utilizing different time windows for variable extraction. This approach improves predictive performance and highlights key differences in critical variables influencing churn across the two player groups. The findings provide valuable insights into churn management strategies tailored for monetizers and non-monetizers.

Purpose

This study investigated how Generation Z adopted brand messages through trending topics and analysed the central and peripheral routes of information adoption. It explored the roles of informational and emotional supports in influencing information adoption through perceived information usefulness and considered the adoption of brand messages within trending topic discussions.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the extension information adoption model, this study employed a quantitative approach by utilising covariance-based structural equation modelling to analyse 400 valid web-based questionnaire responses from Sina Microblog users among Generation Z in China.

Findings

Adopting brand messages via trending topics, with cues emphasising information quality as the central route and information credibility as the peripheral route, enhances perceived information usefulness. Notably, Generation Z can derive informational and emotional support from trending topic discussions, influencing their perceived information usefulness. This process operates independently of the dual routes of information adoption.

Research limitations/implications

Marketers can leverage influencers and users’ comments to motivate Generation Z to adopt brand messages through trending topics, but this study was limited by the demographic diversity of its sample and the specific types of brands analysed. Incorporating cross-cultural comparisons, group analyses, potential moderating factors and control variables could improve the model’s generalisability.

Originality/value

Compared to information adoption models rooted in the organisational information exchange, the originality of this study lies in confirming that, within the context of trending topics, which blend social connections with an anonymous environment, informational and emotional supports can serve as additional cues influencing brand information adoption via perceived information usefulness.

Purpose

Esports game developers are incorporating interactive virtual shopping (IVS) experiences into their products to facilitate consumer–brand interactions. Despite the potential influence of IVS, existing research lacks an understanding of its impact on consumers’ overall affect– particularly game enjoyment, a critical factor in sustaining engagement with esports products – and on attitudinal change toward brands in the real world.

Design/methodology/approach

An experiment was designed to examine the impact of shopping in the virtually interactive esports marketplace on game enjoyment. Mediating effects of positive change in brand attitude, perceived realism and character attachment and the moderating effect of self-avatar gender congruity were investigated using SPSS PROCESS Macro. Additionally, the impact of brand popularity on the relationship between IVS and brand attitude was examined using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

Findings

There was a positive impact of IVS on game enjoyment, mediated by a positive change in brand attitude, perceived realism and character attachment. Self-avatar gender congruity moderated the mediation effect of perceived realism. Notably, less popular brands exhibited a greater change in brand attitude compared to more popular brands.

Originality/value

The findings add to the body of literature on esports, particularly in investigating the role of IVS within the esports virtual world and advancing research on cognitive appraisal theory. This study informs practitioners in the esports industry about the value of creating interactive virtual marketplaces, as they serve to benefit sponsoring brands and enhance game enjoyment for players.

Purpose

Growing technology adoption is a significant opportunity for the growth of the mobile gaming market. Rising smartphones allow game developers to reach more players and make more money. The study offers guidance for mobile game developers to increase profits and extend the longevity of their games. It aims to assist in making better marketing policy decisions by providing valuable insights into effective approaches for both early and subsequent market penetration stages.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a model for analyzing factors that influence the attraction and retention of mobile gamers, which is based on a literature review of mobile gaming and uses the Bass diffusion model and system dynamics method for modeling and simulation.

Findings

In the initial stages of a game release, influencer marketing can be more effective than other marketing tools in increasing visibility. As the game progresses, incorporating referral programs can enhance user engagement, promote the game further, and reduce the number of uninstalls. Influencer marketing can also help the games reach a wider audience, generating more interest, and increasing installations for more tremendous success in the market. However, referral programs can extend the lifespan of games, mainly when gamers are engaged.

Originality/value

The study used new marketing strategies in the mobile game industry to gain insights into the growth and evolution of this industry. Development managers can use insights for effective policies and success. The model aids in understanding the dynamics of mobile games and informed decisions for game developers.