Understanding Continuous Use of Virtual Communities: A Comparison of Four Theoretical Perspectives

The value of virtual communities can be attained only when the members are willing to stay and actively exchange their knowledge or information with other members. Therefore, the aim of this study was to find the model that best explains members´ continued use intention in virtual communities. Eight major variables were identified and four alternative models were formulated: 1) Information Systems (IS) continuance model as a base model, 2) IS continuance model with Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the first competing model, 3) IS continuance model with social capital theory as the second competing model, and 4) IS continuance model with TAM and social capital theory as the third competing model. The four models were compared with LISREL 8.7 using survey data collected from virtual community users in Korea. The findings indicated that the second competing model built on the IS continuance model with social capital theory best explained the members´ continued use intention in virtual communities.