TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of privacy concerns and engagement on social support behaviour in online health community platforms
AU - Tseng, Hsiao Ting
AU - Ibrahim, Fahad
AU - Hajli, Nick
AU - Nisar, Tahir M.
AU - Shabbir, Haseeb
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of Taiwan under The Einstein Program: Project Number MOST 110–2636-H-008–003- and MOST 111–2636-H-008–003- .
Funding Information:
This study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of Taiwan under The Einstein Program: Project Number MOST 110?2636-H-008?003- and MOST 111?2636-H-008?003-.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2022/5/1
Y1 - 2022/5/1
N2 - The growth of interactive technologies has fostered different online health communities (OHCs) where individuals share similar interests in health-related information and exchange social support to facilitate health outcomes. While OHCs offer a variety of benefits to society, it is challenged by surrounding issues of privacy concerns. Breach of privacy poses undesirable consequences for people, and thus privacy concerns can influence individuals' social support behaviour in OHC platforms. Moreover, willingness to engage in the community can be an outcome of prosocial behaviour, motivating people to offer additional social support on OHC platforms. Hence, addressing the role of engagement in a multi-actor online environment requires further attention. Drawing on social support theory, by examining the effects of privacy concerns, control of information, and community engagement, this study develops a framework to create an informed and sharing online community. Using survey data collected from different OHC platforms on Facebook, our study presents some interesting conclusions. Our results show that community engagement and privacy concerns can influence certain types of social support (i.e., information or emotional support), leading to OHC members' intention to participate. Our conceptual model and findings will inform both future research and policymakers.
AB - The growth of interactive technologies has fostered different online health communities (OHCs) where individuals share similar interests in health-related information and exchange social support to facilitate health outcomes. While OHCs offer a variety of benefits to society, it is challenged by surrounding issues of privacy concerns. Breach of privacy poses undesirable consequences for people, and thus privacy concerns can influence individuals' social support behaviour in OHC platforms. Moreover, willingness to engage in the community can be an outcome of prosocial behaviour, motivating people to offer additional social support on OHC platforms. Hence, addressing the role of engagement in a multi-actor online environment requires further attention. Drawing on social support theory, by examining the effects of privacy concerns, control of information, and community engagement, this study develops a framework to create an informed and sharing online community. Using survey data collected from different OHC platforms on Facebook, our study presents some interesting conclusions. Our results show that community engagement and privacy concerns can influence certain types of social support (i.e., information or emotional support), leading to OHC members' intention to participate. Our conceptual model and findings will inform both future research and policymakers.
KW - Community engagement
KW - Online health community
KW - Perceived control of information
KW - Privacy
KW - Social support
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85125874600&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121592
DO - 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121592
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85125874600
VL - 178
JO - Technological Forecasting and Social Change
JF - Technological Forecasting and Social Change
SN - 0040-1625
M1 - 121592
ER -
