The role of negative network externalities in SNS fatigue: An empirical study based on impression management concern, privacy concern, and social overload
Data Technologies and Applications
ISSN: 2514-9288
Article publication date: 3 April 2018
Issue publication date: 20 August 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether negative network externalities would contribute to social networking site (SNS) fatigue and how this mechanism works.
Design/methodology/approach
A research model was proposed integrating two dimensions of negative network externalities and three dimensions of mediators (impression management concern, privacy concern, and social overload) to indicate how negative network externalities affect users’ SNS fatigue. Online questionnaires were adopted to collect data, and 307 valid samples were analyzed by structural equation modeling approach.
Findings
The findings indicate that negative network externalities have significant indirect effects on SNS fatigue through impression management concern, privacy concern, and social overload, and among the three dimensions, privacy concern plays a more important role.
Research limitations/implications
This study offers a solidly grounded and well-demonstrated conceptual model that not only indicates the effects of negative network externalities in the context of SNS but also facilitates the understanding of SNS fatigue. Some theoretical and practical implications are also provided.
Originality/value
This study is novel in exploring users’ SNS fatigue a perspective of negative network externalities. Besides, the mediating roles of impression management concern, privacy concern, and social overload have been employed to indicate the formation of SNS fatigue.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Social Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (17TQA003) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2016B46814).
Citation
Zhu, Y. and Bao, Z. (2018), "The role of negative network externalities in SNS fatigue: An empirical study based on impression management concern, privacy concern, and social overload", Data Technologies and Applications, Vol. 52 No. 3, pp. 313-328. https://doi.org/10.1108/DTA-09-2017-0063
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited