Public contributions to private‐collective systems: the case of social bookmarking

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to provide a theoretical extension to the private‐collective model of information sharing along with an empirical test with users of a social bookmarking website.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper includes a survey of 112 users of an actual bookmarking site recruited through an online research panel firm. The survey consisted of scales adapted from the literature as well as scales developed by the authors.

Findings

The results indicate that contributions to a social bookmarking site are a combination of intentional and unintentional contributions. A significant predictor of intentional public contributions of bookmarks is an egoistic motivation to see one as competent by contributing valuable information. However, there is also a significant but negative relationship between altruism and public contribution whereby users concerned with the needs of others limit their public contributions.

Research limitations/implications

The sample consists of users of a particular social bookmarking site (Yahoo!'s MyWeb). Therefore, the results may not be generalizable to other social bookmarking websites, different types of social networks, or other contexts lacking the public/private option for contributions. Second, since the data comes from a cross‐sectional survey, as opposed to a longitudinal study, the causal relations posited in the model and substantiated with the statistical analyses can only be inferred based on the authors’ theoretical development. Third, although the size of the sample (112 respondents) is appropriate for PLS analysis it may have been insufficient to detect other significant relationships.

Practical implications

Administrators of social bookmarking sites should incorporate incentive and feedback mechanisms to inform contributors whether they contributions have been used (for example, with times viewed) and/or deemed useful (with numeric or qualitative ratings).

Social implications

The results suggest that both selfish motivations associated with the need to feel competent (egoism), as well as selfless concerns for the needs of other users (altruism) drive intentional contributions to the public repository in social bookmarking systems. These two counterbalancing forces indicate that a mix of egoism and altruism is crucial for the long‐term sustainability of social web sites based on information sharing.

Originality/value

This study provides theoretical explanations and empirical evidence of egoism and altruism as significant explanations for cooperation in private‐collective models, such as the ones represented by social bookmarking systems.

Citation

Benbunan‐Fich, R. and Koufaris, M. (2013), "Public contributions to private‐collective systems: the case of social bookmarking", Internet Research, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 183-203. https://doi.org/10.1108/10662241311313312