Understanding Members’ Attachment to Social Networking Sites: An Empirical Investigation of Three Theories

Eric T. K. Lim; Dianne Cyr; Chee-Wee Tan

doi:10.1109/HICSS.2014.82

Understanding Members’ Attachment to Social Networking Sites: An Empirical Investigation of Three Theories

Eric T. K. Lim, Dianne Cyr, Chee-Wee Tan

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Article in proceedings › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are pervasive phenomena in today’s society. With greater connectivity and interactivity enabled through emerging technologies, SNSs provide communication platforms for individuals to bridge spatial and temporal differences when making friends, sharing experiences, socializing with others and much more. This study therefore endeavors to shed light on this growing trend by decomposing members’ motives for participating within SNSs into identity-based, bondbased and comparison-based attachments. Each of these forms of attachment in turn affects members’ cooperative and competitive mentality towards others within SNSs. We further construct a theoretical model of members’ communal attachments within SNSs that is then empirically validated via an online survey of 787 active members of SNSs. Empirical findings suggest that members’ communal attachments play an instrumental role in sustaining their continued participation within SNSs.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the 47th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS-47
Editors	Ralph H. Sprague, Jr.
Place of Publication	Los Alamitos, CA
Publisher	IEEE
Publication date	2014
Pages	614-623
ISBN (Electronic)	9781479925049
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2014.82
Publication status	Published - 2014
Event	The 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. HICSS 2014 - Hawaii, United States Duration: 6 Jan 2014 → 9 Jan 2014 Conference number: 47 http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu/hicss_47/apahome47.htm

Conference

Conference	The 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. HICSS 2014
Number	47
Country/Territory	United States
City	Hawaii
Period	06/01/2014 → 09/01/2014
Internet address	http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu/hicss_47/apahome47.htm

Series	Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
ISSN	1060-3425

Access to Document

10.1109/HICSS.2014.82Licence: Unspecified

https://www.computer.org/csdl/proceedings/hicss/2014/2504/00/2504a614.pdfLicence: Unspecified

Handle.net

Persistent link

Cite this

Lim, E. T. K., Cyr, D., & Tan, C-W. (2014). Understanding Members’ Attachment to Social Networking Sites: An Empirical Investigation of Three Theories. In R. H. Sprague, Jr. (Ed.), Proceedings of the 47th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS-47 (pp. 614-623). IEEE. Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2014.82

Lim, Eric T. K. ; Cyr, Dianne ; Tan, Chee-Wee. / Understanding Members’ Attachment to Social Networking Sites : An Empirical Investigation of Three Theories. Proceedings of the 47th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS-47. editor / Ralph H. Sprague, Jr. Los Alamitos, CA : IEEE, 2014. pp. 614-623 (Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences).

@inproceedings{367e6104627f415ea729873ebf527a64,

title = "Understanding Members{\textquoteright} Attachment to Social Networking Sites: An Empirical Investigation of Three Theories",

abstract = "Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are pervasive phenomena in today{\textquoteright}s society. With greater connectivity and interactivity enabled through emerging technologies, SNSs provide communication platforms for individuals to bridge spatial and temporal differences when making friends, sharing experiences, socializing with others and much more. This study therefore endeavors to shed light on this growing trend by decomposing members{\textquoteright} motives for participating within SNSs into identity-based, bondbased and comparison-based attachments. Each of these forms of attachment in turn affects members{\textquoteright} cooperative and competitive mentality towards others within SNSs. We further construct a theoretical model of members{\textquoteright} communal attachments within SNSs that is then empirically validated via an online survey of 787 active members of SNSs. Empirical findings suggest that members{\textquoteright} communal attachments play an instrumental role in sustaining their continued participation within SNSs.",

keywords = "Communities, Social network services, Educational institutions, Atmospheric measurements, Particle measurements, Business, Blogs, Communal Attachments, Social Networking Sites, Online Survey",

author = "Lim, {Eric T. K.} and Dianne Cyr and Chee-Wee Tan",

year = "2014",

doi = "10.1109/HICSS.2014.82",

language = "English",

series = "Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences",

publisher = "IEEE",

pages = "614--623",

editor = "{Sprague, Jr.}, {Ralph H.}",

booktitle = "Proceedings of the 47th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS-47",

address = "United States",

note = "null ; Conference date: 06-01-2014 Through 09-01-2014",

url = "http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu/hicss_47/apahome47.htm",

}

Lim, ETK, Cyr, D & Tan, C-W 2014, Understanding Members’ Attachment to Social Networking Sites: An Empirical Investigation of Three Theories. in RH Sprague, Jr. (ed.), Proceedings of the 47th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS-47. IEEE, Los Alamitos, CA, Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, pp. 614-623, The 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. HICSS 2014, Hawaii, United States, 06/01/2014. https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2014.82

Understanding Members’ Attachment to Social Networking Sites : An Empirical Investigation of Three Theories. / Lim, Eric T. K.; Cyr, Dianne; Tan, Chee-Wee.

Proceedings of the 47th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS-47. ed. / Ralph H. Sprague, Jr. Los Alamitos, CA : IEEE, 2014. p. 614-623 (Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Article in proceedings › Research › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Understanding Members’ Attachment to Social Networking Sites

AU - Lim, Eric T. K.

AU - Cyr, Dianne

AU - Tan, Chee-Wee

N1 - Conference code: 47

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are pervasive phenomena in today’s society. With greater connectivity and interactivity enabled through emerging technologies, SNSs provide communication platforms for individuals to bridge spatial and temporal differences when making friends, sharing experiences, socializing with others and much more. This study therefore endeavors to shed light on this growing trend by decomposing members’ motives for participating within SNSs into identity-based, bondbased and comparison-based attachments. Each of these forms of attachment in turn affects members’ cooperative and competitive mentality towards others within SNSs. We further construct a theoretical model of members’ communal attachments within SNSs that is then empirically validated via an online survey of 787 active members of SNSs. Empirical findings suggest that members’ communal attachments play an instrumental role in sustaining their continued participation within SNSs.

AB - Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are pervasive phenomena in today’s society. With greater connectivity and interactivity enabled through emerging technologies, SNSs provide communication platforms for individuals to bridge spatial and temporal differences when making friends, sharing experiences, socializing with others and much more. This study therefore endeavors to shed light on this growing trend by decomposing members’ motives for participating within SNSs into identity-based, bondbased and comparison-based attachments. Each of these forms of attachment in turn affects members’ cooperative and competitive mentality towards others within SNSs. We further construct a theoretical model of members’ communal attachments within SNSs that is then empirically validated via an online survey of 787 active members of SNSs. Empirical findings suggest that members’ communal attachments play an instrumental role in sustaining their continued participation within SNSs.

KW - Communities

KW - Social network services

KW - Educational institutions

KW - Atmospheric measurements

KW - Particle measurements

KW - Business

KW - Blogs

KW - Communal Attachments

KW - Social Networking Sites

KW - Online Survey

U2 - 10.1109/HICSS.2014.82

DO - 10.1109/HICSS.2014.82

M3 - Article in proceedings

T3 - Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences

SP - 614

EP - 623

BT - Proceedings of the 47th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS-47

A2 - Sprague, Jr., Ralph H.

PB - IEEE

CY - Los Alamitos, CA

Y2 - 6 January 2014 through 9 January 2014

ER -

Lim ETK, Cyr D, Tan C-W. Understanding Members’ Attachment to Social Networking Sites: An Empirical Investigation of Three Theories. In Sprague, Jr. RH, editor, Proceedings of the 47th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, HICSS-47. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE. 2014. p. 614-623. (Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences). doi: 10.1109/HICSS.2014.82