Social Contagion Theory Research Articles

The Impact of Social Influences on Investment Decision-Making: A Multi-Method Analysis of Vietnamese Investors

This study explores the impact of social influences on investment decision-making, focusing on Vietnamese investors and employing a multi-method approach. Drawing on Social Contagion Theory, Behavioural Finance Theory, and Information Cascade Theory, the research examines how social media, peer pressure, and expert opinions shape investment behaviour. A representative sample of 368 individual investors was analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), revealing significant direct effects of social influences, moderated by investment self-efficacy and risk perception. Notably, novice investors were more susceptible to peer pressure and social media, while experienced investors relied heavily on expert advice. The findings extend theoretical frameworks by elucidating the mediating and moderating mechanisms of social influences and providing boundary conditions based on investor experience. Methodological contributions include the integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches and advanced analytical techniques. Practical implications highlight the need for investment platforms to provide tailored decision-support tools, financial advisors to enhance investor self-efficacy, and regulators to address misinformation risks in digital platforms. Despite limitations such as reliance on self-reported data and a cross-sectional design, the study offers a robust foundation for future research into the dynamic interaction of social and cognitive factors in financial decision-making.

Contagion of corporate misconduct in the supply chain: Evidence from customers and suppliers in China

Non-compliance with operational procedures can significantly disrupt the functioning of supply chains. This study examines the impact of corporate misconduct by both supplier and customer firms on the corporate misconduct of the focal firm within the supply chain. Utilizing data from 723 publicly listed companies in China, we employ a difference-in-differences approach for our analysis. The results indicate that misbehavior exhibited by both supplier and customer firms contributes to an increase in corporate misconduct by the focal firm. Based on the social contagion theory, we argue that supplier misconduct leads to an increase in focus firm misconduct through a mechanism similar to “spillover effect.” Customer misconduct leads to an increase in focus firm misconduct through a mechanism similar to the “learning effect”. And this phenomenon is influenced by the cooperation intensity and the industry sensitivity. The conclusion to our research makes some theoretical contributions. First, our research focuses on silent organizational factors in supply chain contagion, providing evidence of such factors spreading unobserved in the supply chain. Secondly, we explains the different mechanisms of transmission between suppliers and customers in the dissemination of misconduct across the supply chain. Finally, our research findings provide support for managing supply chain misconduct as well as supplier and customer collaboration.

Analyzing narrative contagion through digital storytelling in social media conversations: An AI-powered computational approach

Despite the growing popularity of digital narratives, research on digital storytelling and its spread through social media interactions remains limited. Inspired by the social contagion theory, we introduce the concept of narrative contagion—where a story shared by a person or organization prompts others to share their stories—and investigate its process and outcome in online cancer communities. Utilizing a large dataset of 849 Facebook posts, 47,291 comments, and 14,466 replies, our artificial intelligence (AI)-based computational analysis provides evidence for narrative contagion among individual users in organization-hosted cancer communities on Facebook. It also reveals different organizational message characteristics, such as emotional arousal, post topic, and request for storytelling, that affect user storytelling and emotional support in comments and replies. Our results contribute to a deeper understanding of digital storytelling and its collective dynamics in online communities.

A Large-Scale Group Decision-Making Model Considering Expert Authority Degree and Relationship Evolution Under Social Network

In Large-Scale Group Decision-Making (LSGDM), effectively implementing consensus models is pivotal for managing decision complexity. While trust-based LSGDM has garnered attention, there remains a need for deeper insights into the dynamics of interexpert trust and the impact of authority effects on the decision-making process. This study introduces a sophisticated model for large-scale group decision-making, incorporating considerations of expert “trustworthiness-authority.” Initially, the study assesses the trustworthiness of experts based on social network relationships and opinion similarity while using background information and consensus levels to establish their authority. Subsequently, experts are categorized into four distinct regions based on their trustworthiness and authority assessments. Furthermore, tailored consensus adjustment methods are proposed for each region based on social contagion theory to facilitate consensus achievement. Additionally, a case study is conducted to demonstrate the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed LSGDM model, considering expert “trustworthiness-authority.” Finally, the necessity and superiority of the proposed model are further verified through comparison analysis and sensitivity analysis.

Social contagions in business resilience: Evidence from the U.S. restaurant industry in the COVID-19 pandemic

The unprecedented COVID-19 has led to the collapse of numerous businesses, notably within the tourism and hospitality sectors. Despite the burgeoning research on resilience, few studies have embraced a theoretical lens, particularly from a social network perspective. In addition, most extant resilience studies have not explicitly considered the geographic accessibility prerequisite inherent to tourism and hospitality products. In this study, leveraging the social contagion theory, we present a holistic research framework to investigate the influence of geographic and social proximities, two pivotal social contagion mechanisms, on business resilience. We also delve into moderating factors to discern the conditions under which contagion effects are amplified or attenuated. To validate our theoretical model, we select the restaurant industry as our research context, given its severe impact from COVID-19. Utilizing an extensive dataset from Yelp, encompassing ten U.S. cities varying in sizes and geolocations, our findings indicate that both geographic and social influences exert significant direct effects on resilience. Additionally, these effects exhibit considerable variations contingent upon product attributes, customer characteristics, and geographic factors. Theoretically, we are the first to substantiate the role of social contagion theory in examining resilience, enriching our understanding of the social network mechanism of behavioral contagion among customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also offer valuable practical implications for various stakeholders in supporting their management strategies and decision-making in developing effective plans and preparations, minimizing adverse impacts, and ensuring sustainability in the face of future disruptions.

Fostering YouTube followers’ stickiness through social contagion: The role of digital influencer' characteristics and followers’ compensation psychology

In the information age, many individuals turn to digital influencers' videos on social media as a source of stress relief, emotional support, and a sense of friendship-like connection, and this process of emotional transmission is well described by social contagion theory. Given the limited research on the role of follower stickiness in determining the market value of digital influencers, we integrate the characteristics of digital influencers, incorporating social compensation theory and empathy as follower traits, and demonstrate a positive impact on parasocial interaction. An online survey was conducted with 597 participants who had watched digital influencer videos. This study highlights the role of social contagion theory, offering a novel perspective that highlights the importance of improving followers' online social well-being and stickiness after interacting with digital influencers through emotional contagion. Furthermore, our findings highlight the mediating role of online social well-being in strengthening stickiness between followers and digital influencers.

Follow the leader (or not): the influence of superstars on crowd size in crowdsourcing contests

PurposeAs the application of crowdsourcing contests grows, leveraging the participation of superstars (i.e. solvers who have outstanding performance records in a crowdsourcing platform) becomes an emergent approach for managers to solve crowdsourced problems. Although much is known about superstars’ performance implications, it remains unclear whether and how their participation affects the size of a contest crowd for a crowdsourcing contest. Based on social contagion theory, this paper aims to examine the impact of superstars’ participation on the crowd size and studies how this impact varies across solvers with different heterogeneity in terms of skills, exposure and cultural proximity with superstars in crowdsourcing contests.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses secondary data from one crowdsourcing platform that includes 6,587 innovation contests to examine superstars’ main and contextual effects on the crowd size of a contest.FindingsOur results reveal that superstars’ participation positively affects the crowd size of a contest in general. This finding suggests that social contagion is a fundamental mechanism underlying crowd formation in crowdsourcing contests. Our results also indicate that in contests that involve multiple superstars, superstars’ effect on crowd size becomes negative when we simultaneously consider other solvers’ heterogeneity in terms of skills, exposure and cultural background, and this negative effect will be intensified by increases in the skill gap, extent of exposure and cultural proximity between superstars and other solvers in the same contest.Originality/valueOur research enhances the understanding of the influence of superstars and the mechanism underlying the emergence of contest crowds in crowdsourcing contests and contributes knowledge to better understand social contagion in a competitive setting. The results are meaningful for sourcing managers and platform supervisors to design contests and supervise crowd size in crowdsourcing contests.

Bitcoin adoption in online payments: examining consumer intentions and word-of-mouth recommendations

Online retailers in emerging markets like South Africa are adopting Bitcoin payments. This study explores factors driving consumer adoption and word-of-mouth (WOM) recommendations for Bitcoin in online transactions. Using an integrated model combining valency theory, social contagion theory, and the technology acceptance model (TAM), we analyse data from 521 South African online shoppers. Findings reveal that perceived usefulness, ease of use, social pressures, trust, and perceived risk significantly influence both adoption and WOM. Importantly, self-efficacy moderates the relationship between these factors and behaviour. This research contributes to the literature by offering a comprehensive understanding of Bitcoin adoption. For business and policy actors, enhancing consumer self-efficacy can foster trust, ease concerns, and encourage positive WOM, ultimately aiding successful Bitcoin implementation and promotion.

A dynamic systems theory of intrateam conflict contagion.

Recognizing the challenges that conflict poses, organizational researchers have invested considerable energy toward investigating the processes by which conflict occurs and spreads within a team. However, current theoretical frameworks of conflict contagion posit a static growth trajectory in which members become engaged in conflict and stay in conflict. While this trajectory is certainly possible, the broader conflict literature outside of the organizational sciences has shown evidence for a more varied set of potential trajectories of conflict contagion. To advance theory on team conflict, we integrate conflict research from micro-level (interpersonal) to macro-level (interstate) perspectives into a formal theory of intrateam conflict contagion. Drawing from conflict stage and social contagion theory, we theorize that team members move through three stages of conflict (disengaged, at-risk, engaged) at rates determined by four process mechanisms (faultlines, forgiveness, frustration, integration) such that disengaged individuals become at-risk of engaging in conflict, engage in conflict, then disengage, only to potentially become at risk of reengaging at a later point in time. Using computational modeling, we demonstrate the generative sufficiency of our theory to account for conflict trajectories observed in the broader conflict literature. To facilitate the interpretation of such trajectories, we present a typology of contagion trajectories, discuss the dynamic properties of these trajectories (e.g., stability, bifurcations), and provide implications for future theory building and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

SIMILARITY IN HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIORS WITHIN OLDER ADULTS’ CLOSE SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

Abstract Health-related behaviors are socially contagious, spreading through social networks via multiple mechanisms. It remains unclear though which mechanisms are most salient among older adults. Guided by Social Contagion Theory and the Convoy Model of Social Relations we examine similarity in health-related behaviors (exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption) between older adults and their closest social network members and investigate associations with multiple social factors (homophily, network structure, relationship quality). Data are from Wave 3 of the Detroit-based Social Relations Study collected in 2015. Panel respondents nominated people who were close and important in their lives, and up to the first three nominated were interviewed. Analyses were conducted at the dyad-level, and we selected dyads in which at least one member was age 60 or older (n=247 dyads). Generalized estimating equations were used due to some panel respondents being in multiple dyads. Greater homophily was found to be associated with similarity in both exercise frequency and number of alcoholic drinks consumed per week. Specifically, pairs of close social network members who were more similar in self-rated health were significantly more similar in exercise frequency, and those of the same gender and more similar in age were significantly more similar in alcohol consumption. Network structure, specifically greater contact frequency, was associated with significantly more similarity in alcohol consumption, but less similarity in exercise frequency. Findings suggest the salience of multiple aspects of older adults’ close social relationships that can be incorporated into behavior change interventions and leveraged to encourage healthy lifestyles in later life.

Tourism social sustainability in remote communities in Vietnam: Tourists’ behaviors and their drivers

Drawing on the social practice theory, theory of planned behavior, social contagion theory, and social exchange theory, this study focused on tourist behaviors affecting tourism social sustainability and their drivers. Besides its unique contribution to distinguishing positive behaviors from negative ones, this study is the first exploring tourism social sustainability in remote communities in Vietnam, an emerging country and focusing on domestic tourists. The study reveals that tourists’ knowledge about tourism social sustainability is not only the safeguard against conducting improper behaviors. Behaviors negatively impacting tourism social sustainability can be instigated by crowd, pampering of one’s convenience, and superiority feeling. Furthermore, inappropriate behaviors can be nurtured by the community and service providers. This study also indicates a mixed finding regarding the role of tour operators and tour guides in enforcing the code of conduct and regulations; however, both leader and members of the community can play a critical role in promoting socially sustainable tourist behaviors.

Effects of Social Connection on Dual Attitudes and Continuance Intentions of Using Social Media

Prior studies that specifically investigate the effects of social connections on the continuous adoption of social media applications (SMAs) are scarce. Based on the social contagion theory (SCT) and dual-attitude perspective, this study develops and validates a research model that explains the staged influences of social connection factors (i.e., pre- and post-usage cohesion and structural equivalence) on users’ explicit attitude, intention to use, implicit attitudes and continuance intention regarding the use of the SMAs. Survey data collected from both pre-usage and post-usage stages of 302 SMA users were examined using the technique of partial least squares to validate the research model. The results indicate that pre-usage cohesion and structural equivalence are significant antecedents of SMA users’ explicit attitude and intention to use. Additionally, these factors, along with post-usage cohesion and structural equivalence, significantly influence SMA users’ implicit attitude and continuance intention. In summary, by adopting the SCT and dual-attitude perspective, this study is among the first group of studies that examine whether social connection factors have influences on people’s adoption of SMAs at both pre-usage and post-usage stages. Implications for theory and for practices are discussed subsequently.

Corruption spreads: understanding interorganizational corruption contagion in municipal governments

PurposeCorruption is a major social problem, and scholars have devoted considerable attention to this phenomenon. However, less attention has been paid to how corruption spreads among organizations and what factors can make its spread more likely. This study aims to fill the gap by modelling corruption as an interorganizational contagion.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used social contagion theory to model corruption as an interorganizational contagion, influenced by the susceptibility of organizations and the strength of contagion sources. The study analysed 736 medium and large Italian municipalities over a five-year period, with 3,146 observations (excluding missing data). The authors conducted a longitudinal analysis using panel logistic regression techniques and performed robustness and endogeneity checks through a dynamic panel data model.FindingsThe authors found that municipalities with a higher percentage of corrupt neighbouring municipalities were more likely to experience corruption. The probability of experiencing corruption was also significantly higher for municipalities with weaker organizational resistance to corruption contagion.Originality/valuePrevious studies have not clearly explained the organizational mechanisms behind the spread of corruption at the interorganizational level. The study suggests that corruption contagion at the municipal level occurs via reduced uncertainty in decision-makers and is influenced by the prevalence of corruption locally. The spread can be driven by conscious or unconscious mechanisms. This study challenges the idea that corruption contagion is immediate and inevitable. Organizational resistance to corruption can affect the risk of contagion, highlighting the importance of anti-corruption controls and ethical systems in preventing it.

Exploring the Demographic Determinants of Integrity in Careerist Senior Civil Servants: Role of Social Norms and Security

Given rising concerns over corruption globally, this research investigates the factors that influence integrity. The study found no statistically significant effect of prior education, geography, or experience on the integrity levels of careerist senior civil servants (CSCS) in India (also known as, Indian administrative service officers), which is infamous for corruption in public administration. We posit that this might be attributed to heightened social security received by CSCS amply aided by social contagion, rigorous training, and network effects, which impact the maintenance of integrity at the individual level. Our study supplements the existing rationale of bureaucratic reputation theory, social contagion theory and public service motivations. We argue that corruption in a democratic government in a lower-middle-income country is often a result of an interconnected network of stakeholders that CSCS may have a limited ability to influence, resulting in a quiet life equilibrium.

This Product Seems Better Now: How Social Media Influencers’ Opinions Impact Consumers’ Post-failure Responses

ABSTRACT Extant research on social media influencers primarily focuses on the prepurchase stage (i.e., how influencers affect consumers’ purchase intentions), while overlooking the postpurchase stage. In this research, we investigate how the valence of an influencer’s product review can impact consumers’ affective states after a dissatisfactory experience with the product. Specifically, two rival hypotheses, based on Social Contagion theory and cognitive dissonance theory, respectively, are tested to assess whether an influencer’s positive (vs. negative) review about the same product can improve consumers’ affect. Results from automatic facial expression analysis and sentiment analysis show that an influencer’s positive (vs. negative) review leads to an improvement in consumers’ post-failure affect. Reconciling the two theories, the authors show that the improvement in consumers’ post-failure affect is a result of their improved attitude toward the product, following an influencer’s positive review. In addition, findings suggest this effect is moderated by the level of trust in the influencer, as well as the severity of the product failure. The results also show an important managerial outcome: An improvement of consumers’ post-failure affect (i.e., happiness) leads to a decrease in consumers’ willingness to share negative word-of-mouth.

Partners in Health: Investigating Social Genetic Effects Among Married and Cohabiting Couples

Partners resemble each other in health behaviors and outcomes such as alcohol use, smoking, physical activity, and obesity. While this is consistent with social contagion theory suggesting partner influence, it is notoriously difficult to establish causality because of assortative mating and contextual confounding. We offer a novel approach to studying social contagion in health in long-term partnerships by combining genetic data of both partners in married/cohabiting couples with longitudinal data on their health behaviors and outcomes. We examine the influence of the partner’s genetic predisposition for three health outcomes and behaviors (BMI, smoking, and drinking) among married/cohabiting couples. We use longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing with data on health outcomes and genotypes for both partners. Results show that changes over time in BMI, smoking, and drinking depend on the partner’s genetic predispositions to these traits. These findings underline the importance of people’s social surroundings for their health and highlight the potential of targeting health interventions at couples.

Authentic Leadership, Employee Work Engagement, Trust in the Leader, and Workplace Well-Being: A Moderated Mediation Model.

This study proposes a model based on social contagion theory to evaluate the impacts of authentic leadership on employee work engagement (WE) and trust in the leader (TL), integrating the mediating effect of TL and the moderating effect of workplace well-being (WW). Authentic leadership is disaggregated into its subscales: relational transparency (RT), internalized moral perspective (IMP), balanced processing (BP), and self-awareness (SA). Dubai hotel employees completed 476 surveys. Applying the bootstrapping technique, SmartPLS 4 software was utilized to test the hypotheses in a mediation model. The findings indicate (1) that three subscales of authentic leadership (RT, IMP, and BP) positively impact WE; (2) that RT, IMP, and SA positively impact TL; (3) that TL positively impacts WE; (4) that TL mediates the relationship between RT, IMP, SA, and WE; (5) and that WW moderates the relationship between RT, BP, and WE. Authentic leadership and its subscales are proven to be an excellent tool for achieving employee WE and TL. TL is crucial for effective hotel operation, as it impacts employee WE and acts as a mediator between three subscales of authentic leadership and WE. WW moderates the relationship between two authentic leadership subscales and WE but does not interact in the relationship between TL and WE. Both researchers and hotel managers can benefit from these new findings, which also provide a foundation on which to build future investigations.

The Contagion of Misgovernance in Nigeria: Reflections on the Influence of Non-Administrative Criteria

Successive governments in Nigeria have failed to curtail the downward spiral of the sectors of her economy. The deepening socio-economic and political crises are assessed as occasioned by the dysfunctionality of the arms of government that jeopardizes essential service delivery to the detriment of the polity at whose behest they occupy the public offices. Despite the changes and institution of new administrative leadership through democratic processes, the quality of governance continues to dwindle. Poor policy formulation, implementing non-target-specific measures to deal with the malaises bedeviling the economy, and/or outright government inaction define the practical realities of Nigeria’s sociopolitical landscape. These plausible facts have driven wedges between the elected representatives in government and the polity who bear the brunt of the leadership failures in all spheres. The study determined whether a contagion effect birthed by non-administrative criteria underlies the transcendently perpetual misgovernance pervading the sectors of Nigeria’s economy. The study evaluates the influences of these criteria on the individuals, the potency of ‘group’ membership and sentiments, the contexts of leadership, and the implications for the trajectory of governance. With prioritization over the desired state of affairs in the country despite leadership changes and successive governments, these group memberships and sentiments remain inimically parallel to target-specific policy-making and de-emphasize national growth and development. The paper relies on the postulations of the social contagion theory of collective behavior and Riggs' assertions on non-administrative criteria in prismatic societies in assessing the misgovernance in Nigeria. A semi-structured Contagion in Leadership (CiL) e-questionnaire was designed to evaluate the influence of social contagion on the members of the arms of government and, consequently, on the quality of governance and service delivery in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. It was disseminated on two social media platforms - WhatsApp and Twitter, for a wider reach. Two hundred ten (210) responses were recorded across an age range of 18 and 65+ years, with a mean age of 42. Strategies for enhancing the quality of governance, including entrenching constitutionalism, and engendering the responsibility of political officeholders toward policy actions, are proffered.

Exploring the outcomes of servant leadership under the mediating role of relational energy and the moderating role of other-focused interest

PurposeThis paper aims to explain the mediating role of relational energy and the moderating role of other-focused interest in the relationship between servant leadership and its outputs (namely, work effort, flourishing and organizational citizenship behavior), using the theory of resource conservation and social contagion.Design/methodology/approachThe survey method was used in the study, and longitudinal data were collected to prevent the common method variance error and to reveal the causal relationships. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsAccording to the results, it was observed that relational energy has a full mediator role in the relationship between servant leadership, work effort and flourishing, and relational energy has an integral part mediator role in the relationship between servant leadership and organizational citizenship behavior. In addition, it has been determined that other focus interest plays a moderating role in the relationship between servant leadership and relational energy.Practical implicationsThe research offers important implications for servant leaders on how to improve individual and organizational outcomes.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the servant leadership literature by associating resource conservation theory with social contagion theory. The study differs from previous studies with two main features. First, the previous studies generally adopted a perspective of energy sender. This research, on the other hand, is based on the perception of energy receivers (followers of a servant leader). Second, a moderating role of other-focused interest is explored in the relationship between servant leadership and relational energy.

Temporal dynamics of justice climate and team innovation.

Team innovation-exploration and exploitation of useful and novel ideas by a team has been a topic of great importance for organizations in today's dynamic, complex, and competitive environment. Grounded in the social contagion theory of justice, we theorize a justice-to-innovation processual model based on within-team justice climate occurrences that change over time. We posit that collective and shared justice perceptions of team members construct dynamically based on justice-related work events. Within teams, state justice climate level and strength (represented by the Mean and the low-SD scores of individual team members in the moment or an episode) are important precursors of team innovation. The proposed theoretical model explicates an emotional contagion process arguing that positive and negative team affect states mediate the relationship between state justice climate and team innovation. Positive/negative team affect states result in collective actions and team interactions that foster/hinder team innovation. The present article significantly contributes to the development of the dynamical models of justice and innovation for teams where most research is confined to static models of justice climate.