The mechanism of knowledge seeking and sharing behaviors influenced by individual cognition and motivation of online health community users in China

Abstract

This study is to solve the problem of blocked help-seeking behavior and “hitchhiking” in patient user groups, to explore the mechanism of knowledge seeking and sharing behaviors influenced by individual cognition and motivation. The thesis integrates the ERG theory cognitive behavior factors then construct the theoretical model of cognition-motivation-behavior. The structural equation model of 390 valid data is analyzed. The results showed that: (1) Perceived ease of use has no effect on motivation and knowledge seeking, but only on knowledge sharing; (2) survival motivation, relationship motivation and growth motivation, all promote knowledge seeking, while only growth motivation promotes knowledge sharing; (3) perceived usefulness, perceived interpersonal trust and disease cognition have different effects on all these three motivations; (4) perceived usefulness, perceived interpersonal trust and disease cognition have direct effects on knowledge seeking, while perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use have direct effects on knowledge sharing; (5) the key factor to promote knowledge seeking is perceived usefulness, while the key factor to promote knowledge sharing is perceived ease of use; (6) survival motivation and growth motivation play an intermediary role between perceived usefulness, perceived interpersonal trust, disease cognition and knowledge seeking respectively, while only growth motivation plays an intermediary role between these three cognitive factors and knowledge sharing.