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Building engagement in online brand communities: The effects of socially beneficial initiatives on collective social capital

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  • Wong, Amy
  • Lee, Marcus

Abstract

Using social capital theory, this study investigates members' perceptions of socially beneficial initiatives on collective social capital. A total of 359 valid surveys were collected from two types of online brand communities (OBCs). The results demonstrate that high levels of empathy can lead to increased prosocial behavior. In both product and social OBCs, social trust affects affective and cognitive engagement, while reciprocity impacts affective and behavioral engagement. Moreover, our findings show that the link between prosocial behavior and reciprocity is partially mediated by social trust. This study provides several implications for the management of OBCs.

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  • Wong, Amy & Lee, Marcus, 2022. "Building engagement in online brand communities: The effects of socially beneficial initiatives on collective social capital," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:65:y:2022:i:c:s096969892100432x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102866
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    4. Wong, Amy, 2023. "How social capital builds online brand advocacy in luxury social media brand communities," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    5. Liao, Junyun & Pang, Jiecong & Dong, Xuebing, 2023. "More gain, more give? The impact of brand community value on users’ value co-creation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    6. Agung Artha Kusuma & Adi Zakaria Afiff & Gita Gayatri & Sri Rahayu Hijrah Hati, 2024. "Is visual content modality a limiting factor for social capital? Examining user engagement within Instagram-based brand communities," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
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