Beyond popularity: A user perspective on observable behaviours in a digital platform

Abstract

The opinions and behaviours of others are recognised as powerful mechanisms for social influence in the digital sphere. The former, often referred to as electronic word of mouth (eWOM), is a thoroughly researched topic in the Information Systems literature. Conversely, the digital display of users' behaviours (e.g., number of past purchases) is less well understood despite the widespread adoption of this practice on digital platforms. Quantitative research has explored this interesting domain and found that observing others' behaviours entice observers to follow suit, but has left unaddressed the question of what sensemaking users derive from behavioural information. This is problematic as behavioural information is more open to interpretation compared to eWOM. In this article, we adopt the concept of electronic word of behaviour (eWOB) to denote such behavioural information. Through the lens of basic psychological needs theory and the qualitative means‐end chain approach, we expose how eWOB is interpreted and used by users of a digital platform, the music service Spotify. We find that eWOB leads to satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for relatedness and competence when observing others' behaviours. We also show how exposure to one's own past behaviours can yield a positive sense of self when presented in meaningful and private manners, but that it can also negatively impact users when their needs for autonomy and competence are not heeded by the digital platform. Finally, based on our empirical findings we offer a set of design implications for how digital platforms can optimise the use of eWOB.

Detecting deception in computer-mediated communication: the role of popularity information across media types

“…Literature review and hypothesis development 2.1 Herd behavior theory In many social situations, people are influenced in their decision-making by what those around them do. For example, research has shown that individuals tend to mimic others in various contexts, such as lending microloans in online peer-to-peer markets (Zhang and Liu, 2012), innovating with information technology (Swanson and Ramiller, 2004), evaluating whether or not to adopt new software (Duan et al, 2009), choosing lodging destinations on digital platforms such as TripAdvisor (Xue et al, 2020), including even what music we listen to as Spotify users often use electronic word-of-mouth behavioral data to guide their servicerelated decisions (Kunst et al, 2021). This phenomenon can also occur in other contexts, such as popular topics that researchers investigate, the decision to join a certain online social network.…”

Putting the IS back into IS research

“…In the fifth paper, Kunst et al (2022) empirically explore the concept of electronic word of behaviour (eWOB), behavioural information indicating a product's popularity such as number of past purchases for a product or number of people listening to a specific artist on a music streaming service. An assessment of eWOB is assumed to guide users to more efficient decision‐making in an ever‐more cluttered digital world.…”

Perceptions of the use of IsiZulu Termbank Technology at University of KwaZulu-Natal.

“…The use of social influence as a stimulant of electronic library usage behaviours has been validated by Kunst et al (2022) as well. Many studies have furthered our understanding of social influence in behavioural intention research over the years, which has led to a more pluralistic understanding of social influence (Subchi et al, 2022;Zheng et al, 2022).…”