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Through a Glass Darkly: Information Technology Design, Identity Verification, and Knowledge Contribution in Online Communities

Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
mengma{at}gmail.com
ragarwal{at}rhsmith.umd.edu

A variety of information technology (IT) artifacts, such as those supporting reputation management and digital archives of past interactions, are commonly deployed to support online communities. Despite their ubiquity, theoretical and empirical research investigating the impact of such IT-based features on online community communication and interaction is limited. Drawing on the social psychology literature, we describe an identity-based view to understand how the use of IT-based features in online communities is associated with online knowledge contribution. Specifically, the use of four categories of IT artifacts—those supporting virtual co-presence, persistent labeling, self-presentation, and deep profiling—is proposed to enhance perceived identity verification, which thereafter promotes satisfaction and knowledge contribution. To test the theoretical model, we surveyed more than 650 members of two online communities. In addition to the positive effects of community IT artifacts on perceived identity verification, we also find that perceived identity verification is strongly linked to member satisfaction and knowledge contribution. This paper offers a new perspective on the mechanisms through which IT features facilitate computer-mediated knowledge sharing, and it yields important implications for the design of the supporting IT infrastructure.

Key Words: computer-mediated communication and collaboration; perceived identity verification; online communities; design of IT infrastructure; questionnaire surveys
History: This paper was received on December 2, 2005.

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