Others' fortune in online vs offline settings: how envy affects people's intention to share information
ISSN: 1066-2243
Article publication date: 16 February 2021
Issue publication date: 1 November 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to fill a gap in the existing literature by answering the following question: is the effect of envy on people's intention to share information the same in offline settings and on online social networks?
Design/methodology/approach
Two studies demonstrate (1) how envy that results from upward social comparisons affects people's intention to share information and (2) the difference between online and offline settings.
Findings
The likelihood of sharing information susceptible of triggering envy is lower in online social networks than in an offline scenario.
Research limitations/implications
In digital environments, feelings of envy depend on the number of social comparisons that the individual is exposed to.
Practical implications
This research recommends (1) incorporating tools that allow online social network users to feel part of their network's successes, (2) promoting offline diffusion of information and (3) encouraging people to play an active role when using online social networks.
Social implications
Benefits can be derived from offering tools that permit receivers to take advantage of the selective self-presentation of other users. Such tools could have positive consequences for the welfare of online social network users.
Originality/value
To date, the literature has paid no attention to envy as an engine of information sharing. This aspect is especially relevant when discussing platforms whose main goal is precisely information sharing and that offer fertile ground for upward social comparisons.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the members of the Behavioral Laboratory of the Robert H. Smith School of Business of the University of Maryland for stimulating the germ of this work. Preliminary ideas for this project were presented at the Association for Consumer Research Conference 2016 (http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/1022029/volumes/v44/NA-44). The useful suggestions of the editor and review team are acknowledged.Funding: The authors would like to thank the Ramón Areces Commercial Distribution Chair for financing a mobility grant of Dr. Suárez a visiting scholar at the Robert H. Smith School of Business of the University of Maryland on early stages of this project. Dr. Chica was supported by the Ramón y Cajal program [RYC‐2016‐19800]. This work was also supported by the project SIMARK [PY18‐TP‐4475] granted by the Andalusian Government and by the University of Oviedo [PAPI‐19‐EMERG‐15].
Citation
Suárez Vázquez, A. and Chica Serrano, M. (2021), "Others' fortune in online vs offline settings: how envy affects people's intention to share information", Internet Research, Vol. 31 No. 5, pp. 1641-1655. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-10-2019-0412
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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