Examining the Effect of Knowledge Seeking on Knowledge Contribution in Q&A Communities

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Information Science
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Existing research often isolates user behaviors like knowledge seeking or contribution.
• A gap exists in understanding the link between these behaviors within online communities.
• Motivational theory provides a framework to explore user engagement in Q&A platforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of users' knowledge seeking on their knowledge contribution in Q&A communities.
• To examine the mediating roles of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in this relationship.
• To provide insights for fostering balanced knowledge exchange and long-term platform stability.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from 4643 users on China's largest social Q&A platform, Zhihu.
• Mediation effect test applied to analyze the collected data.
• Utilized motivational theory to frame the investigation of user behaviors.

Main Results:

• Knowledge seeking positively influences intrinsic motivations (altruism, self-efficacy).
• Knowledge seeking also enhances extrinsic motivations (social support, group identity, reputation).
• These motivations, in turn, significantly affect users' knowledge contribution.

Conclusions:

• Q&A platforms should focus on both intrinsic and extrinsic user motivations.
• Addressing these motivations is crucial for balanced knowledge exchange.
• Fostering user motivation is key to the long-term stability and growth of social Q&A platforms.