Firm-hosted online social networks: Antecedents of consumer intention to participate

The development of firm-hosted online social networks is an increasingly important phenomenon. This importance is due to the benefits that companies may obtain from consumer participation in this type of network. However, to obtain these benefits, a minimum level of participation in the network must be guaranteed. For this reason, this work employs a double hedonic-utilitarian approach (by integrating perceived entertainment into the Technology Acceptance Model) in order to understand the factors determining consumer intention to participate in these networks. The results, obtained from the application of structural equation modeling to a sample of 456 individuals, confirm most of the proposed hypotheses and indicate the major importance of the hedonic component in this context. Based on these results, a series of interesting managerial implications are proposed. (C) 2009 ACEDE. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.