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The Structure of Online Consumer Communication Networks

Author

Listed:
  • Marjolein J.W. Harmsen - van Hout

    (E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN))

  • P. Jean-Jacques Herings

    (Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University)

  • Benedict G.C. Dellaert

    (Department of Business Economics / Marketing Section, Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam)

Abstract

We analyze the structure of bilateral communication links among consumers in virtual communities by a game-theoretic model of network formation. First, link specificity is incorporated, meaning that the more direct links somebody has to maintain with others, the less she is able to specify her attention per link, so that the value of her links decreases. Second, a distinction is made between the social and informational value from communication, where informational value is transferable via indirect links, whereas social value is not. We characterize the set of pairwise stable structures in the case with only social value to indicate the separate impact of link specificity and demonstrate that it includes a wide range of non-standard architectures under large link specificity and particular combinations of fully connected components under low link specificity. In the case with both social and informational value, the joint effect of link specificity and value transferability is shown to reduce the pairwise stable set to particular fragmented architectures under large link specificity or rather to the complete network under small link specificity.

Suggested Citation

  • Marjolein J.W. Harmsen - van Hout & P. Jean-Jacques Herings & Benedict G.C. Dellaert, 2010. "The Structure of Online Consumer Communication Networks," FCN Working Papers 3/2010, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:fcnwpa:2010_003
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    Cited by:

    1. Enno Bellmann & Joachim Lang & Reinhard Madlener, 2010. "Cost Evaluation of Credit Risk Securitization in the Electricity Industry: Credit Default Acceptance vs. Margining Costs," FCN Working Papers 13/2010, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    2. Achtnicht, Martin, 2010. "Do environmental benefits matter? A choice experiment among house owners in Germany," ZEW Discussion Papers 10-094, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    3. Ronald Bernstein & Reinhard Madlener, 2011. "Responsiveness of Residential Electricity Demand in OECD Countries: A Panel Cointegation and Causality Analysis," FCN Working Papers 8/2011, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    4. Giovanni Sorda & Yasin Sunak & Reinhard Madlener, 2011. "A Spatial MAS Simulation to Evaluate the Promotion of Electricity from Agricultural Biogas Plants in Germany," FCN Working Papers 1/2011, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    5. Wilko Rohlfs & Reinhard Madlener, 2013. "Challenges in the Evaluation of Ultra-Long-Lived Projects: Risk Premia for Projects with Eternal Returns or Costs," FCN Working Papers 13/2013, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    6. Wilko Rohlfs & Reinhard Madlener, 2011. "Multi-Commodity Real Options Analysis of Power Plant Investments: Discounting Endogenous Risk Structures," FCN Working Papers 22/2011, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    7. Harmsen - van Hout, Marjolein J.W. & Herings, P. Jean-Jacques & Dellaert, Benedict G.C., 2013. "Communication network formation with link specificity and value transferability," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 229(1), pages 199-211.
    8. Gaudeul, Alexia & Giannetti, Caterina, 2011. "The role of reciprocation in social network formation, with an application to blogging," MPRA Paper 34094, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Gampert, Markus & Madlener, Reinhard, 2011. "Pan-European management of electricity portfolios: Risks and opportunities of contract bundling," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 2855-2865, May.
    10. Christian-Simon Ernst & André Hackbarth & Reinhard Madlener & Benedikt Lunz & Dirk Uwe Sauer & Lutz Eckstein, 2010. "Battery Sizing for Serial Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles: A Model-Based Economic Analysis for Germany," FCN Working Papers 14/2010, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    11. Marjolein Harmsen - van Hout & Gaurav Ghosh & Reinhard Madlener, 2013. "An Evaluation of Attribute Anchoring Bias in a Choice Experimental Setting," FCN Working Papers 6/2013, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    12. Dergiades, Theologos & Madlener, Reinhard & Christofidou, Georgia, 2018. "The nexus between natural gas spot and futures prices at NYMEX: Do weather shocks and non-linear causality in low frequencies matter?," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 18(C), pages 1-1.
    13. Carl Christian Michelsen & Reinhard Madlener, 2011. "Homeowners' Preferences for Adopting Residential Heating Systems: A Discrete Choice Analysis for Germany," FCN Working Papers 9/2011, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    14. Birk Kraas & Marion Schroedter-Homscheidt & Benedikt Pulvermüller & Reinhard Madlener, 2011. "Economic Assessment of a Concentrating Solar Power Forecasting System for Participation in the Spanish Electricity Market," FCN Working Papers 12/2011, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    15. Lohwasser, Richard & Madlener, Reinhard, 2013. "Relating R&D and investment policies to CCS market diffusion through two-factor learning," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 439-452.
    16. Marjolein Harmsen - van Hout & Gaurav Ghosh & Reinhard Madlener, 2013. "The Impact of Green Framing on Consumers’ Valuations of Energy-Saving Measures," FCN Working Papers 7/2013, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    17. Melchior, Tobias & Madlener, Reinhard, 2012. "Economic evaluation of IGCC plants with hot gas cleaning," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 170-184.
    18. Wilko Rohlfs & Reinhard Madlener, 2010. "Cost Effectiveness of Carbon Capture-Ready Coal Power Plants with Delayed Retrofit," FCN Working Papers 8/2010, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
    • C79 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Other
    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation
    • M31 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Marketing and Advertising - - - Marketing

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