Social Ties and User-Generated Content: Evidence from an Online Social Network

Scott K. Shriver (), Harikesh Nair and Reto Hofstetter ()
Additional contact information
Scott K. Shriver: Columbia Business School, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
Reto Hofstetter: Center for Customer Insight, University of St. Gallen, CH-9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland

Management Science, 2013, vol. 59, issue 6, 1425-1443

Abstract: We exploit changes in wind speeds at surfing locations in Switzerland as a source of variation in users' propensity to post content about their surfing activity on an online social network. We exploit this variation to test whether users' online content-generation activity is codetermined with their social ties. Economically significant effects of this type can produce positive feedback that generates local network effects in content generation. When quantitatively significant, the increased content and tie density arising from the network effect induces more visitation and browsing on the site, which fuels growth by generating advertising revenue. We find evidence consistent with such network effects. This paper was accepted by J. Miguel Villas-Boas, marketing.

Keywords: marketing; user-generated content; social networks; monotone treatment response; monotone treatment selection; monotone instrumental variables; homophily; endogenous group formation; correlated unobservables; endogeneity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (63)

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1110.1648 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Social Ties and User-Generated Content: Evidence from an Online Social Network (2011)
Working Paper: Social Ties and User Generated Content: Evidence from an Online Social Network (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:59:y:2013:i:6:p:1425-1443

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