Motivational Drivers of Content Contribution to Company‐ Versus Consumer‐Hosted Online Communities
Abstract
This research investigates the effect of the type of community host (consumer‐hosted versus company‐hosted communities) in the relationship between motivational drivers and content contribution to online communities. By presenting a typology of motivational drivers of content contribution and classifying prior research on motivational drivers accordingly, this article offers an integrated, in‐depth literature review. Four motivational self‐ versus other‐oriented and extrinsic versus intrinsic drivers were included in an empirical study of three online communities, with more than 800 community members. The results reveal that opinion leadership, self‐presentation, and enjoyment positively affect content contribution; altruism negatively affects content contribution. In company‐hosted online communities, the positive drivers are stronger than in consumer‐hosted online communities. To encourage members’ contribution, community managers should seek to attract opinion leaders, provide room for self‐presentation, and enhance members’ feelings of pleasure and comfort. A qualitative post hoc analysis also explicates the negative effect of altruism. Overall, this study provides a fruitful basis for several important theoretical and managerial implications.
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Altruism drives consumers' contributions to online communities.
“while Teichmann et al. (2015) showed that altruism drives consumers ' contributions to online communities.”
From Unintended reward costs: the effectiveness of customer referral reward programs for innovative products and services (2019) · cites this paper as Teichmann et al. 2015
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- Authors
- Teichmann, K., Stokburger‐Sauer, N. E., Plank, A., & Strobl, A.
- Affiliations
- Universität Innsbruck (AT)
- University of Innsbruck
- Corresponding author
- Teichmann, Karin
- Venue
- Psychology & Marketing
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2015-01-27
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 341-355
- ISSN
- 0742-6046 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-6793
- OpenAlex
- W1569390420
- Cited by
- 86
- References
- 70
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 10 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 34.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychology and Marketing (publishedVersion)
- Lancaster EPrints (Lancaster University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Eli Lilly and Company
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Marketing and Social Media
- Social Sciences › Communication › Knowledge Management and Sharing
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Expert finding and Q&A systems
- Keywords
- online communities, content contribution, motivational factors, opinion leadership, self-presentation, enjoyment, altruism, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, community management
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