Understanding Content Contribution Behavior in a Geosegmented Mobile Virtual Community: The Context of Waze

Abstract

The virtualization of every aspect of our life does not mean that old ways of social interaction can now be transported to the internet. According to recent research conducted on the influence of mobile apps, we also need to look at how digital spaces enable interactions among individuals. We use large-scale geospatial data analysis to study millions of postings in an app called Waze. We conceptualize a novel factor called virtual crowdedness, which is the density of usage of the app in a specific neighborhood. We find that displaying the density of a user’s “virtual activities” can both encourage and discourage participation by the entire community. We find that participation in virtual settings is akin to what economists describe as a public good, where only a few individuals contribute but create well-being for the entire community. Users’ motivation to participate in virtual settings depends on what is termed “impure altruism” by economists, where participation is heavily influenced by motives of prestige and public recognition. These motivations are reinforced through intensive social interactions among members of such communities. We also find there is a strong bystander effect in these virtual communities. The bystander effect refers to the phenomenon in which an individual’s likelihood of engaging in a helpful act decreases when bystanders are present in a critical situation.