Antecedents and outcomes of participation in social networking sites

Abstract

This study seeks to understand factors that influence the participation in online social networks and outcomes. The proposed model integrates variables such as identification, satisfaction, degree of influence, usefulness and ease of use into a comprehensive framework. The empirical approach was based on an online survey of 336 young adults in Portugal, undertaken during November/December 2010. Research findings showed that identification, perceived usefulness, interaction preference, and extroversion are the most important factors in order to influence the members'participation. The degree of influence and the identification have an indirect effect on the participation through perceived usefulness. Participation in social networking sites, in turn, is linked to higher levels of loyalty, actual use, and word-of-mouth. The results of this study have implications for researchers and practitioners. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2013.