Towards a consumer social behavior theory for sharing economy: an integrated view

Abstract

PurposeThe current study is exploring factors affecting social and sharing behavioral intentions. The paper proposes a new theory, the consumer social behavior theory, which aids in understanding social behaviors. This is through the convergence of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and norm activation theory (NAT) to foster the understanding of sharing and social behaviors. Religiosity, as a cultural and psychological factor, along with five major predictors of sharing practices are also incorporated. These predictors are economic benefits, sustainability, enjoyment, trust and difficulties in sharing practices.Design/methodology/approachThe current study takes a new route through proposing a new theoretical contribution and developing a new theory termed consumer social behavior theory (CSBT) to be commonly used in social behavioral contexts.FindingsThe CSBT is an output of integrating two prominent theories in pro-social and pro-environmental contexts. It is found that integrating both theories help in thoroughly examining behavioral intentions. Religiosity is found to significantly impact intentions towards social behaviors, yet no study examined its role in sharing and social behaviors contexts.Originality/valueThis study is contributing to and enriching the sharing economy research domain through new theoretical developments. A theory adaptation for TPB and NAT was conducted to advance a thorough understanding of sharing and social behavioral intentions. This work is considered the first of its kind to develop an integrated view for sharing and social behaviors.