Impact of Interactivity on Guanxi Network Building in the Wechat Moments: A Social Capital Perspective

Abstract

Mobile social platform such as Wechat Moments has gained great popularity in China in the past few years. However, there are still a lack of studies that focus on Guanxi network building in the virtual social community. Drawing upon interactivity and social capital theory, this study develops a research model to examine the influence of perceived interactivity on users' social capital and Guanxi network in the Wechat Moments. An empirical survey was conducted in China and 287 valid data were collected from Wechat users. Structural equation modelling analysis was used to test the research model. The empirical results suggest that interactivity has a strong influence on social interaction and shared understanding, which in turn promote users' Guanxi network in the Wechat Moments. A post-hoc analysis further suggests that the influence of interactivity on Guanxi network is contingent upon network size. Theoretical and practical implications are illustrated in the final section.