Analysis of influencing factors of online community knowledge-sharing from the perspective of the platform environment

Abstract

PurposeThe number of online communities has increased rapidly with the development of the Internet. Although these communities provide users with knowledge-sharing channels, the enthusiasm of the users for participation remains low. Ecosystem theory, social cognitive theory, and some other theories emphasize the importance of environmental factors and hypothesize that the behavior of users is affected by personal factors and environmental factors. In this study, the authors investigated the impact of platform environmental factors on knowledge-sharing behavior and improved the platform environment construction of online communities.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the authors analyzed the influencing factors of online community knowledge-sharing from the perspective of the platform environment, constructed a research model, and proposed relevant hypotheses. Then, the authors designed a questionnaire and conducted a survey, and finally tested the hypotheses by using the method of structural equation model.FindingsThe results showed that community trust, community management, community incentive, community atmosphere, and community information protection had a significant positive impact on community knowledge-sharing behavior. Community trust played a significant intermediary role in the relationship between community management, community incentive, community information protection, and knowledge-sharing behavior; community information protection only affected knowledge-sharing behavior through community trust. Additionally, community atmosphere did not directly affect knowledge-sharing behavior through the intermediary of community trust.Practical implicationsThis study showed that theoretical supplements and practical guidance are significant for conducting research and managing knowledge-sharing in the online community. They help community managers pay more attention to the construction of an online community platform environment.Originality/valueIn this study, the authors analyzed the influencing factors of online community knowledge-sharing from the perspective of the platform environment and introduced community trust as an intermediary variable. The research perspective and model of this study are novel to some extent.