Sustainable Diffusion of Fashion Information on Mobile Friends-Based Social Network Service

Youn Na,Sungmin Kang

doi:10.3390/su10051474

Abstract

This study presents a model integrating research on mobile social network services (SNS) and word-of-mouth (WOM) by examining the sustainable diffusion of fashion information via multidimensional effect factors, including the social relationship and sub-network structure characteristics of SNS. Implications for expanded research scope and methods are generated by applying social network analysis to information diffusion on friends-based SNS for sustainable development, which is connected to the social cascade phenomenon. This study investigates the relationship between the social network characteristics of subscribers and the sub-network structure characteristics of friends-based SNS and examines the effect of sub-network structure characteristics on fad-like behavior and WOM. We examine 311 people with experience in fashion information activities using friends-based SNS services for data analysis and perform frequency analysis, reliability and validity analysis, measurement model analysis, and path analysis using SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 20.0. This study furthers our theoretical and practical understanding of the network extension pattern in fashion information diffusion in mobile friends-based SNS. The study also points out the need for community network management and identifies the key factors in friends-based SNS, thus providing strategic guidelines for spreading fashion information effectively.

Highlights

Friends-based social network services (SNS) is a social connection formed through voluntary preference for a certain object, like a group of offline clubs
The positive effects of social pressure and reciprocity on preference similarity can be interpreted in ways similar to the findings of several studies: one argued that consumers create social relationships through reference groups and compare among and imitate the behavioral patterns of social influencers or close neighbors belonging to the same reference group [75]; another showed that members belonging to a sub-network connected by strong ties share characteristics distinct from those of other sub-network members [57]; and another indicated that tie strength, density, and centrality as well as member centralization all influence homogeneity [65]
The result showing that social pressures and social connectedness have positive effects on interactivity can be interpreted to the results of several studies: one argued that the diffusion of social pressures has a chilling effect that spreads more widely over a longer period of time due to interactions among members [11]; another showed that the behaviors of members in a network interact with the consciousness, utility, and behavior of other members in the same network [93]; and another indicated that social familiarity in SNS increased user interactions and relationships and that a wide range of social connections are possible [52]

Summary

Introduction

Friends-based SNS (social network service) is a social connection formed through voluntary preference for a certain object, like a group of offline clubs. Friends-based SNS invites people connected by relationships—such as among family, friends, a club, or a company—to talk as a group in a specific space. Friends-based SNS differs from existing forms of SNS, which groups people based on their mobile phone number, e-mail address, or other identifier. This is a unique concept and is becoming increasingly popular with users, as many have complained about communication fatigue due to the excessive information disclosure that occurs in conventional SNS (at least in the Korean market). The strong connections between communities affect product proliferation [1] and these social relationships, based on the bidirectional nature of information in mobile social networks, can expand rapidly and be sustained over time

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Conclusion