TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN ONLINE COMMUNITIES

摘要

The dynamics of technology adoption in real-world social networks have been well documented. However, technology adoption in online communities remains relatively under-explored. In this study, we propose a framework to investigate the dynamics of technology adoption in online communities using behavioral-link data from an open source software development community. Our study complements prior research by building network measures relevant for an online community based on collaboration history data. By addressing the issues of causality and individual heterogeneity between network structure and adoption behavior, we demonstrate a clearer relationship between social networks and technology adoption. We also identify salient differences between real-world and online social networks regarding technology adoption.