Exploring the Impacts of Virtual Role Identification on Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Communities: A Perspective of Structural Symbolic Interactionism

Abstract

Knowledge sharing is crucial to the operation and sustainability of virtual communities. Against this background, this study aims to investigate whether and how users’ virtual role identification influences their knowledge sharing behavior. Theoretical insights from structural symbolic interactionism and identity economics are synthesized and used as a basis for proposing the mechanism by which virtual role identification influences knowledge sharing behavior. We collected data to test the research model from 250 community users via an online survey. The results suggest that virtual role identification can facilitate users’ knowledge sharing behavior by increasing role utility and perceived role expectations. The theoretical contributions and practical implications of this study are also discussed.