The formation of social identity and self-identity based on knowledge contribution in virtual communities: An inductive route model

Based on the social network perspective and work group perspective, this study brings social interaction tie and membership esteem together as the mediating variables between knowledge contribution and social identity to construct an inductive route model, aiming to understand how social identity and self-identity form based on knowledge contribution behaviors in virtual communities. To assess the theoretical model, an online survey was conducted in an interest-based discussion community, Baidu Post Bar (China), and yielded 348 useable responses. Both social interaction tie and membership esteem were found to have mediating effects between knowledge contribution and social identity. In addition, knowledge contribution was found to have a direct influence on social identity. The results also showed that self-identity can form through an inductive route. Our findings have implications for both practice and theory.