Feed me

TLDR

Social networking sites rely on user‑generated content, yet motivations for contribution—particularly among newcomers who may not see its value—remain poorly understood. The study uses server log data from about 140,000 Facebook newcomers to predict long‑term sharing based on their first two weeks of experience. It tests four mechanisms—social learning, singling out, feedback, and distribution—to explain sharing behavior.

Abstract

Social networking sites (SNS) are only as good as the content their users share. Therefore, designers of SNS seek to improve the overall user experience by encouraging members to contribute more content. However, user motivations for contribution in SNS are not well understood. This is particularly true for newcomers, who may not recognize the value of contribution. Using server log data from approximately 140,000 newcomers in Facebook, we predict long-term sharing based on the experiences the newcomers have in their first two weeks. We test four mechanisms: social learning, singling out, feedback, and distribution.