Factors Affecting Adoption of Online Community Water User Participation

Abstract

Social networks are the most extensively utilized online virtual communities. It is a technology platform that is currently used to interact with other members of any virtual online community, including preserving social ties. This study is aimed at determining the elements that influence the participation of water users in the online community. It suggests combining the commitment-trust theory with the technology acceptance model (TAM) to include stakeholders, social networks, and transparency about content and user perceptions to better understand the elements that influence the online community and user participation. A questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was issued to 1,000 community water consumers, and the researcher received 627 valid responses. Data were collected using a basic random sampling technique with a sampling ratio of 14 villages. Subsequently, descriptive statistics characterize the data (frequency distributions, percentages, averages, medians, and standard deviations). Furthermore, PLS-SEM was utilized to study the interactions between variables and launch the conceptual model via partial least square (PLS) path modeling. This study reveals that community water user engagement is founded on a commitment-trust paradigm that acts as an effective role model for community participation behavior. The results and consequences are discussed at length in the discussion section, which offers valuable recommendations. This article discusses overcoming ethical divisions in community water management through increased communication between customers and community water management teams using social media networks. Additionally, several elements contribute to the monitoring and supervision advancement, boosting the openness of community water management.