Uncovering the value stream of digital content business from users' viewpoint

Although digital content (DC) business has been increasingly recognized as one of the core industries in a knowledge-based economy, little is known about its value stream from DC users' perspective. This study suggests a DC value chain framework involving the stream of DC value from DC creation to use from users' perspective, which has three key components of DC-value stream: (1) DC-value creation, (2) DC-value interaction, and (3) DC-value use. Drawing upon the DC value chain framework, we propose a research model exploring the direct relationships between DC-value creation and DC-value interaction and between DC-value interaction and DC-value use. It also explains the moderating role of DC types between DC-value and DC-value interactions. The empirical results of the study indicate that DC-value interactions play an intermediary role between DC creation value and DC use value and that users' perceptions of DC value vary in different types of DC. We discuss theoretical contributions and practical implications along with some avenues for future research.