The antecedents and consequences of the co-creation experience in virtual tourist communities: From the perspective of social capital in virtual space

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the co-creation experience of virtual tourist community members based on value co-creation and social capital theory, which can help us determine the antecedents of co-creation experiences, as well as the internal mechanism of members' behaviors that are beneficial to the community. After collecting 453 valid questionnaires, the results of structural equation model analysis have shown that the social capital obtained by the members of a virtual tourist community has a positive effect on the co-creation experience. That experience also positively influences the intention of future participation and recommendation behaviors. In theory, this paper makes an effort to enrich the research content of the value co-creation and social capital theory. In practice, it is helpful for community managers to do a great job on constructing soft environments, encouraging members to play their roles, and improving the enterprise's competitiveness.