Does affinity matter? Slow effects of e-quality on information seeking in virtual communities

• An updated information systems success model was applied to virtual communities.
• Affinity was explored as a useful extension to the components of effectiveness success.
• Data collected from users of virtual communities were used to test the model.
• Affinity with virtual communities had a large and direct impact on information seeking.
• Slow effects of e-quality on information seeking were confirmed.

Virtual communities function not only as social settings, but also as information neighborhoods. In this study, the term e-quality was used to refer to information quality, system quality, and service quality. Following the updated information systems (IS) success model, a research model was developed to explore the effects of e-quality on information seeking as well as the direct and mediating effects of affinity with virtual communities (the degree of importance that users place on virtual communities) on information seeking. Data collected from users of virtual communities were used to test the model. Affinity with virtual communities not only had a large and direct impact on information seeking in virtual communities but also fully mediated the effects of information quality and service quality on information seeking and partially mediated the effect of system quality on information seeking. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.