Competitive peer influence on knowledge contribution behaviors in online Q&A communities: a social comparison perspective

What is it about?

This study investigates the impact of peer influence on the informativeness of knowledge contributions in online Q&A communities within competitive settings, drawing on social comparison and peer influence literature. Data from a large Chinese online Q&A community is analyzed using hierarchical linear models and the generalized propensity score weighting method. The results show that peer influence, driven by social comparison concerns, affects knowledge contribution behaviors within the same question thread. Subsequent contributions tend to be more informative when prior contributors provide longer answers. This effect is stronger for factual questions and those with higher answering popularity, but weaker for recommendation-type questions, well-answered questions, and contributors with higher social status.

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