Motivational factors of information exchange in social information spaces

•Several barriers hinder active participation in online information exchange.•An interview study analyzed motivational factors for information exchange.•A quantitative study related these factors to objective measures of participation.•Internal motivation is the strongest factor supporting participation.•Time and effort requirements are the strongest factors hindering participation.

Research has shown that there are many barriers that hinder people to participate in online information exchange. We provide an overview about the research done so far and classify the found motivational factors. With two empirical studies we test the simultaneous impact of these factors in order to identify the most important ones. Study 1, a qualitative interview study with potential users investigates key motivational factors for information exchange. Study 2, a quantitative study with users of an established social information space relates all motivational factors to subjective and objective measures of participation in information exchange. We found that internal motivation, gain of prestige, quality and quantity of content and procedural fairness are the strongest motivational factors supporting participation, whereas time and effort requirements for contribution and fear of personal feedback are the strongest factors hindering contribution. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.