Résumé

The objective of this research is to understand user commitment in the context of social networks. We propose a conceptualization of commitment as a cognitive and affective immersion activity that evolves over time. Our research aims are, firstly, to define commitment through social networks and understand its role in creating relationship between users and organizations; secondly, to test the hypothesis that user commitment is an evolving process; and, thirdly, to propose a commitment-based typology of social network users. We followed an exploratory approach and used content analysis on face-to-face interviews with 18 male and female social network users. Our main results show that commitment starts from a simple interaction and evolves into a cognitive and emotional experience. According to our analysis, users can be classified into three categories of commitment. Content creators are highly motivated and passionate about their activities on social networks. They create their own content with the aim of publishing it on different networks. Members of this category consider themselves leaders and opinions makers. Content consumers exhibit a strong desire for learning and seek, mainly, to acquire knowledge. They are motivated by developing their understanding in their chosen areas of interest. For them, social network can be considered as a new method to learn and improve their level of knowledge. Social followers are driven by the pursuit of social interactions with friends, family and other social network users. Their main activities consist of following the news in their community, sharing and exchanging information, such as pictures and videos, within their network.

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