Exploring the Antecedents of Social Support on Social Network Sites

Abstract

There has been little research to examine the antecedents of social support in the setting of social network sites (SNS). This study uses supplementary fit as an antecedent to explain why people can perceive social support on SNS. The authors collect 550 validated questionnaires from Facebook, Instagram, and PTT. The statistical results reveal the following findings: (1) value-based fit promotes emotional and informational support but not instrumental support; (2) personality-based fit promotes emotional and informational support but not instrumental support. The theoretical contributions are as follows: First, social support was tested as a multi-dimensional factor, which can better identify the types of supports people perceive from SNS. Second, supplementary fit acts as an antecedent to clarify the conditions individuals' perceive as social support, which facilitate a new path for both social support and virtual communities research. Suggestions to facilitate valued-based and personality-based fit on SNS are provided.