Investigating the motivations for consumers creating and consuming user-generated content on social networks: the nature of online consumer behaviour on WeiboTools Bao, Xiao (2017) Investigating the motivations for consumers creating and consuming user-generated content on social networks: the nature of online consumer behaviour on Weibo. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)]
AbstractWith the development of social media, social networks have expanded the opportunities for user to create and consume user-generated content (UGC) online. UGC is an important information source for both companies and consumers, and can influence e-WOM as well as consumer purchase decisions. Understanding consumer behaviour of creating and consuming UGC is important for both researchers and marketers. Many studies have investigated consumer behaviour in the context of Facebook, and YouTube, but limited research studies in the context of Weibo, the most popular social networking site in China. Therefore, the main purpose of the present research is to investigate the deep motivations driving consumer creating and consuming textual and visual UGC on Weibo in China, to provide a better understanding of consumer behaviour on social networks and more knowledge for researchers and marketers about why consumer create and consume different UGC forms. This research utilized qualitative research methods: observation and 10 in-depth interviews, to explore why some consumers create textual UGC when they predominantly consume visual UGC. The findings suggest that interviewees consume visual UGC to “easily digest information that may not be easily understood in textual forms” and “quickly gain information that could not be shown in textual forms” in a relaxing and entertaining way, which is driven by a connected motivation of information-seeking and entertainment motivations. Interviewees create textual UGC to “relieve feeling” and “simultaneously protect privacy”, which is driven by a connected motivation of self- expression and self-protection motivations. Moreover, self-presentation motivation drive interviewees to create visual UGC to “provide evidence of good experience and gain trust”, to “show good self-image” and to “attract audience’s attention and gain resonance”, when there is large group of audience. They rarely post visual UGC on Weibo, because they think little audience follow them there.
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