Research on the Relationship Between Cross-Level Motivation, Integrated Emotion, and Virtual Knowledge Community...

Area of Science:

• * Social Sciences
• * Psychology
• * Information Science

Background:

• * Virtual communities rely on member commitment for sustained success.
• * Understanding the drivers of this commitment is crucial for community management.
• * Existing research often overlooks the interplay between motivation, emotion, and commitment in virtual knowledge settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To establish a comprehensive model linking motivation hierarchy, integrated emotions, and community commitment.
• * To investigate the hierarchical influence of user motivations on community engagement.
• * To explore the role of multiple integrated emotions (satisfaction, attachment, identity) in fostering commitment.

Main Methods:

• * Development of a theoretical framework based on motivation hierarchy and integrated emotion theories.
• * Examination of the mediation and regulation functions within the motivation-emotion-commitment relationship.
• * Analysis of how different levels of motivation influence each other and impact commitment.

Main Results:

• * User motivation progresses hierarchically from situational (knowledge/entertainment seeking) to contextual (social interaction) and personality levels (self-efficacy).
• * Integrated emotions, including satisfaction, attachment, and identity, significantly enhance user community commitment.
• * An interactive complementarity exists: low satisfaction can be offset by strong attachment and identity, bolstering commitment.

Conclusions:

• * User motivation is a multi-layered construct influencing virtual community commitment.
• * A robust emotional connection, encompassing satisfaction, attachment, and identity, is vital for sustained commitment.
• * Community managers should focus on fostering both intrinsic motivations and strong emotional bonds to enhance user commitment.