Does Give-And-Take Really Matter? Dynamics of Social Interactions in Social Network

24 Pages Posted: 17 Nov 2016 Last revised: 7 Feb 2020

See all articles by Sunghun Chung

Sunghun Chung

George Washington University - School of Business

Alain Pinsonneault

McGill University - Desautels Faculty of Management

Date Written: November 17, 2016

Abstract

Despite the increasing attention paid to the social interaction in online social networks, it is still not clear how social media users interact with each other, consume different content, and expand their social network. This study conceptualizes two types of user engagement (internal and external) and empirically examines the dynamics between user’s engagement, friends’ engagement, and network size. Using detailed social media activity data collected from over 20,000 Facebook users for three years, we find that when people externally engage in their friends’ social space rather than one’s own space, they can make more friends and also receive friends’ engagement in one’s own social space. However, when people receive more friends’ engagement in their social space and make more friends, they are likely to reduce their engagement in social media (both externally as well as internally). Our findings can provide useful insights for the literature on social ties, user-generated content, and online peer influence.

Keywords: Social Interaction, Facebook, Network Formulation, Online Peer Influence, PVAR

JEL Classification: A13, M21, C31

Suggested Citation

Chung, Sunghun and Pinsonneault, Alain, Does Give-And-Take Really Matter? Dynamics of Social Interactions in Social Network (November 17, 2016). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2871047 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2871047

Sunghun Chung (Contact Author)

George Washington University - School of Business ( email )

Washington, DC 20052
United States

Alain Pinsonneault

McGill University - Desautels Faculty of Management ( email )

1001 Sherbrooke St. West
Montreal, Quebec H3A1G5 H3A 2M1
Canada

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