Persistence of ineffectual user innovation: Tweaking on babycenter.com

Vidya Haran, Sung Won Kim

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

We examine why user innovations persist in online communities when they are deemed empirically ineffectual in attaining the intended goal. Specifically, we investigate tweaking, an ineffectual yet popular user innovation on babycenter.com. Though the tweaked results are not considered valid by the scientific community, the tweaking community continues to persist and grow. We use qualitative data analysis of web based data to identify the salient constructs, and understand the relationships between the constructs to develop a theory of why ineffectual user innovations persist in online communities. We posit that psychological safety, anxiety, desirability bias, source credibility and social proof are the important factors that keep ineffectual user innovations from getting rejected.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2016 International Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2016
PublisherAssociation for Information Systems
ISBN (Electronic)9780996683135
StatePublished - 2016
Event2016 International Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2016 - Dublin, Ireland
Duration: Dec 11 2016Dec 14 2016

Publication series

Name2016 International Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2016

Other

Other2016 International Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2016
Country/TerritoryIreland
CityDublin
Period12/11/1612/14/16

Keywords

  • Online communities
  • Qualitative data analysis
  • User innovation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Information Systems

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