Why Users Participate in Online Social Networks

Almost two-thirds of marketers and agency managers believe that strong customer relationships can be established through the strategic use of Internet technology. To take advantage of this, it is important to understand what motivates and de-motivates users to participate in online social networks (social networking sites - SNS). The extant literature has focused on why users participate in online or virtual communities of practice. This study looks at a number of first-order factors that together drive an overall (second-order) motivation construct for explaining why users participate in SNS in particular. We conclude by discussing the implications for managers and opportunities for future research.