The role of network embeddedness across multiple social networks: Evidence from mobile social network games

Hwang Kim and Vithala R. Rao

International Journal of Research in Marketing, 2022, vol. 39, issue 3, 867-887

Abstract: This article examines peer influences from network relationships within a social network game (i.e., embeddedness) and across such games (i.e., multiplexity). Drawing on social influence theory, we develop a bivariate Poisson model of users’ repeated visits and latent attrition that accommodates peer interaction after controlling for homophily. We estimate the model using data from two social network games with considerable overlap among network members. We find that friends who are only multiplex across games exert greater peer influence on users’ game visits than members who are embedded within a single game. We also determined that ignoring network multiplexity across games may lead firms to mistarget users due to biased peer influences of embedded friends. This result provides an unresearched explanation—strength of peer influence—for the mixed findings in previous literature on network embeddedness. We utilized our results to conduct several scenario analyses to demonstrate how firms can effectively manage users’ engagement and target users in multiple social network games.

Keywords: Peer influence; Social network games; Network embeddedness; Network multiplexity; Network-targeting; Social network analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ijrema:v:39:y:2022:i:3:p:867-887

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijresmar.2021.10.007

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