Understanding social influence on mobile social networking sites: A social support perspective

Due to the social networking relationship, users' continuance of social networking sites (SNS) may receive social influence from their peers and referents. This research identified the effect of social support on social influence in mobile SNS. Social support consists of both informational support and emotional support. Social influence is reflected by three factors: subjective norm, social identity and group norm. The results suggested that social support has a significant effect on social influence. The results imply that service providers need to build a supportive climate in order to facilitate social influence and users' continuance usage.