scholarly journals Talking to imagined citizens? Information sharing practices and proxies for e-participation in hyperlocal democratic settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Cruickshank ◽  
◽  
Hazel Hall ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Online Audiences ◽  
Concept Of Information

Introduction. Previous research in information science often uses constructs from social exchange theory to explain online information sharing. Exchange theories have a strong focus on reciprocity, yet in some communities, such as elected democratic representatives at hyperlocal level, it is observed that information is shared online for little visible return. This raises questions as to the extent to which existing models of online information sharing based on the tenets of exchange are applicable across a full range of contexts. In the case of hyperlocal representatives, this also prompts consideration of their motivations for online information sharing, and their response to apparent non-participation or lurking in this process on the part of citizens. In this paper an information sharing, practice-based approach is deployed to explore the means by which hyperlocal representatives in Scotland handle their information sharing role and address their relationship with their online lurker audiences. Method. Hour long interviews were conducted in November and December 2016 with nineteen representatives who serve on Scottish community councils. Analysis. Qualitative analysis of the interview data generated the results of the study. Results. Information sharing is regarded as an important duty of community councillors. It is largely practised as transmission or broadcast (rather than exchange) using a variety of channels, both online and face-to-face. Such efforts are, however, limited. This is due to restricted resources, a lack of familiarity with the information users (and non-users) that community councillors serve, and poor knowledge of tools for analysing online audiences. Attitudes towards online communities that largely comprise lurker audiences vary from frustration to resignation. Conclusions. While some of the findings articulate with extant knowledge and extend it further, others contradict the results of prior research, for example on online platforms as deliberative spaces. The practice-based approach as deployed in the study surfaces new contributions on proxies in information sharing. Amongst these, it adds to prior work on information seeking by proxy, and introduces the concept of information sharing by proxy.

TOWARD A GENERAL THEORY OF SOCIAL EXCHANGE

1993 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wagona Makoba
Keyword(s):  
General Theory ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Exchange Model ◽  
Exchange Theory ◽  
The Relationship

Proponents of the individualistic and collectivistic theories of social exchange behavior contend that the two perspectives cannot be integrated because they are based on different assumptions about the relationship between individuals and society. In addition, the opponents of integration argue that such an effort would undermine the polemical development of sociological theory. This paper uses existing ethnographic and anthropological evidence to argue that the individualistic and collectivistic orientations of social exchange theory can be successfully integrated since they are not mutually exclusive as claimed by their proponents. I propose to synthesize the individualistic and collectivistic perspectives into an interactional exchange model of behavior that takes into account the full range of individual and group motives, values and interests.

Information Needs of Users in the Tech Savvy Environment and the Influencing Factors

2019 ◽  
pp. 45-63
Author(s):  
Mudasir Khazer Rather ◽  
Shabir Ahmad Ganaie
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Information Need ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Asking Questions ◽  
American Society ◽  
Concept Of Information ◽  
Information Scientist

The concept of information needs was coined by an American information scientist, Robert S. Taylor, in his article "The Process of Asking Questions" published in American Documentation (Now the Journal of the American Society of Information Science and Technology). There are many definitions of information need. According to Case, information need is a recognition that your knowledge is inadequate to satisfy a goal that you have. He explains that having information is not the same as being informed. Information need is one of the cognitive needs of humanity. Information need determines information-seeking behavior and these concepts harmonize one another. Information need is influenced by a number of factors. This chapter provides an overview of information needs of users, their types, and also the various factors influencing the information needs of users in the digital age.

scholarly journals Impact of Control and Trust on Megaproject Success: The Mediating Role of Social Exchange Norms

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dedong Wang ◽  
Shaoze Fang ◽  
Hongwei Fu
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

Trust and control are the two main governance mechanisms in megaprojects. However, the role of social exchange norms in trust and control governance remains unclear. Based on social exchange theory, we explored the impact of control and trust on megaproject success by considering the mediating effect of social exchange norms, which include reciprocity, negotiation, and information sharing. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses based on data collected from 155 respondents. Results show that control and trust have positive effects on megaproject success. Trust can promote social exchange norms. That is, the higher the level of trust is, the greater the likelihood that reciprocity, negotiation, and information sharing will increase. Control does not have a significant impact on social exchange norms. Social exchange norms have a mediating effect on the relationship between trust and megaproject success but not on the link between control and megaproject success. Our findings fill in the gaps in the literature on megaproject governance and contribute to the development of megaproject management theory, which can help project managers understand the motivation orientations of all parties to make decisions wisely and rationally under complex environments.

Diabetes self-management in online health communities: an information exchange perspective (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Min
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Online Health Communities ◽  
Health Communities ◽  
Diabetes Patients

BACKGROUND Online health communities (OHCs), with a wealth of multi-source information exchange, have provided a convenient way for diabetes patients to actively involve in their self-management and been widely used. Information exchange assists patients with health-related decisions to actively engage in their care, and reduce the occurrence of potential complications of diabetes. However, there has been relatively little research on the information exchange behaviors and its effect on health on professional online medical platforms—OHCs. OBJECTIVE Using a social exchange theory, we focus on two sources of information (doctors and patients) to investigate information exchange behaviors and moderating effects of information price. METHODS The logistic and ordinal regression models are used to get our empirical results by collecting a rich dataset from the biggest OHC in China. RESULTS We found that first information sharing from doctors (β=0.014, p<0.001) and other patients (β=0.009, p<0.01) can promote the patient’s information sharing behavior. Second, the moderating effects of information price are heterogeneous and change with the exchange participants (β=-0.005, p<0.001; β=0.003, p<0.05). Third, rich information exchange supports patients’ self-management and improves their health status (β=0.009, p<0.001; β=0.018, p<0.003). CONCLUSIONS This study is among the first that tests the information exchange behavior and consequence for diabetes patients in OHCs and examines the moderating effects of information price. Our present study produces several insights, which have implications for social exchange, patient behavior, online health communities, and information technology in diabetes self-management literature. By understanding the online information exchange behaviors of doctor-patient and patient-patient, we are able to understand how to reach people to receive and deliver diabetes information through these professional OHCs.

Analyzing informal value transfer networks through the lens of social exchanges

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khurram Sharif ◽  
Nauman Farooqi ◽  
Norizan Kassim ◽  
Mohamed Zain
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Exchange Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Exchanges ◽  
Value Transfer

Purpose This study aims to focus on how informal value transfer networks, Hawala business in particular, used social exchanges in their business dealings. More specifically, the conducted research looked into how social exchange theory was used in Hawala business relationship initiation and management. Design/methodology/approach Twenty-one depth interviews were conducted with Hawala Network members, and Hawala customers, in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The collected qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis and NVivo 11 software. Findings The study outcome indicated that Social Exchange Theory was a principal relationship driver in Hawala Networks. Especially, trust had a pivotal role in evolvement and nurturing of Hawala Network business and social exchanges. Other relationship variables, namely, reciprocity, religious affiliation, reputation and information sharing had a significant part in relationship building as well. Results supported a prominent influence of time in carefully controlled and rigorously assessed transformation of Hawala relationships. This metamorphosis converted an exchange from short-term into a long-term orientation where limited amount transactions changed into large sum transactions and restricted information exchange moved to elaborate information sharing. In addition, findings revealed that monetary and non-monetary interactions between Hawala Network members took the form of a homogeneous club, with shared social, cultural, religious and ethnic values. In particular, financially constrained and illiterate social groups preferred Hawala services due to ease of servicing in the form of minimal bureaucracy, fast transfers and low service charges. These marginalized fractions of society had limited access to formal banking which made Hawala business their main (and in most cases only) source for sending and receiving financial remittances. Hawala Networks provided an effective alternative to formal banking for disadvantaged communities. Originality/value This study provided unique and useful insights into the nature of social exchanges within Hawala Networks. Especially, it provided clarification on how informal networked businesses used Social Exchange Theory to by-pass the need for legal protection and formal contracts. Furthermore, the study highlighted the role Hawala business played in providing essential banking services (e.g. transfer of money and micro-lending) to educationally and economically deprived individuals.

Sellers versus buyers: differences in user information sharing on social commerce sites

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 444-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinbi Yang ◽  
Choon Ling Sia ◽  
Libo Liu ◽  
Huaping Chen
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Social Commerce ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose – Social commerce sites offer fertile ground for users to communicate product information. Given that such sites have the potential to transform the way of doing business, it is clearly important for academics to understand user information sharing on social commerce sites. Existing research has considered motivations as core elements of user information sharing in online communities. The purpose of this paper is to advance the theoretical understanding of user information sharing by investigating differences in motivations between the different user types of social commerce sites: sellers and buyers, and the impact on social commerce. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted an empirical study by analyzing data from a social commerce site in China, including panel data (n=892) and survey data (n=913). Findings – This research showed that user type (i.e. sellers and buyers) plays an important moderating role in user information sharing: sellers exert a positive moderating effect on utilitarian and social motivations, while buyers are found to have a positive moderating effect on hedonic motivation. Research limitations/implications – This study contributes to existing literature, not only by exploring the antecedents of user information sharing on social commerce sites from utilitarian, hedonic and social dimensions, but also by providing an evaluation of user types (i.e. sellers and buyers). The authors believe that the results of this study offer important and interesting insights for IS research and practice. Practical implications – This study will enhance social commerce site managers’ understanding of better features for information sharing and differences in motivation between sellers and buyers. This could improve the effectiveness of encouraging strategies and help social commerce sites be more sustainable in the highly competitive contemporary environment. Originality/value – Based on social exchange theory and motivation theory, this paper takes user types into account, and postulate that user type (i.e. sellers and buyers) plays a moderating role in the relationships between motivations (i.e. utilitarian, hedonic and social motivation) and user information sharing intention on social commerce sites.

Mean Leader–member Exchange and Team Voice: Roles of Team Task Reflexivity and Perspective Taking

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 1221-1232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Social Exchange ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Leader Member Exchange ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Team Task ◽  
Member Exchange ◽  
The Relationship

Using social exchange theory as a basis, I examined the effect of mean leader–member exchange (MLMX) on team voice, and how this relationship is mediated by team task reflexivity and moderated by perspective taking. Participants were 301 full-time employees in 46 teams, who took part in a field study. Results showed that MLMX had a positive influence on team voice, team task reflexivity played a mediating role in the relationship between MLMX and team voice, and perspective taking moderated the relationship between MLMX and team task reflexivity. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

scholarly journals Sharing of Verified Information about COVID-19 on Social Network Sites: A Social Exchange Theory Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1260
Author(s):  
Jiabei Xia ◽  
Tailai Wu ◽  
Liqin Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Least Squares Method ◽  
Exchange Theory ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Benefits And Costs

Background: Verified and authentic information about coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on social networking sites (SNS) could help people make appropriate decisions to protect themselves. However, little is known about what factors influence people’s sharing of verified information about COVID-19. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the factors that influence people’s sharing of verified information about COVID-19 on social networking sites. Methods: Based on social exchange theory, we explore the factors that influence sharing of verified information about COVID-19 from two perspectives: benefits and costs. We employed the survey method to validate our hypothesized relationships. By using our developed measurement instruments, we collected 347 valid responses from SNS users and utilized the partial least squares method to analyze the data. Results: Among the benefits of sharing verified information about COVID-19, enjoyment in helping (β = 0.357, p = 0.000), altruism (β = 0.133, p = 0.029) and reputation (β = 0.202, p = 0.000) were significantly associated with verified information sharing about COVID-19. Regarding the costs of sharing verified information about COVID-19, both verification cost (β = −0.078, p = 0.046) and executional cost (β = −0.126, p = 0.011) also significantly affect verified information sharing about COVID-19. All the proposed hypotheses were supported. Conclusions: By exploring factors from both benefits and costs perspectives, we could understand users’ intention to share verified information about COVID-19 comprehensively. This study not only contributes to the literature on information sharing, but also has implications concerning users’ behaviors on SNS.

The Impact of a Highly Publicized Celebrity Suicide on Suicide-Related Online Information Seeking

Crisis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Arendt ◽  
Sebastian Scherr
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Celebrity Suicide ◽  
Online Information Seeking ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Background: Research has already acknowledged the importance of the Internet in suicide prevention as search engines such as Google are increasingly used in seeking both helpful and harmful suicide-related information. Aims: We aimed to assess the impact of a highly publicized suicide by a Hollywood actor on suicide-related online information seeking. Method: We tested the impact of the highly publicized suicide of Robin Williams on volumes of suicide-related search queries. Results: Both harmful and helpful search terms increased immediately after the actor's suicide, with a substantial jump of harmful queries. Limitations: The study has limitations (e.g., possible validity threats of the query share measure, use of ambiguous search terms). Conclusion: Online suicide prevention efforts should try to increase online users' awareness of and motivation to seek help, for which Google's own helpline box could play an even more crucial role in the future.

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