Electronic Commerce Research and Applications xxx (2015) xxx–xxx

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Electronic Commerce Research and Applications

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ecra

Drivers of interdependence and network convergence in social networks

in virtual communities
Ching-I Teng ⇑
Graduate Institute of Business and Management, Chang Gung University, Taiwan

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Social networks proliferate in virtual communities, where interdependence and network convergence
Received 2 July 2014 among users are key to their development. However, as little is known about the drivers of interdepen-
Received in revised form 13 January 2015 dence and network convergence, this study examines whether individual differences could be one such
Accepted 16 January 2015
driver. An online questionnaire was used to collect data and responses from 3086 online gamers, and
Available online xxxx
hierarchical regressions were used for the testing of hypotheses. This study found that the need for affilia-
tion, altruism, and social intelligence are positively related to interdependence and network convergence.
Keywords:
Moreover, the need for affiliation interacts with altruism to predict interdependence, and interacts with
Social network
Virtual communities
social intelligence to predict network convergence. This study is the first using the weak/strong tie theory
Need for affiliation to identify drivers of interdependence and network convergence among users of virtual communities.
Altruism Ó 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Social intelligence
Interdependence
Network convergence

1. Introduction
Social networks—sets of people or their digital representations
bonded by friendship (Musial and Kazienko, 2013)—in virtual com-
munities are widely discussed and influential in various areas,
including campaigning (Vergeer and Hermans, 2013), marketing
(Wang et al., 2013), revisit intention (Teng and Chen, 2014), knowl-
edge seeking and sharing (Wang et al., 2013), and the spread of
information and communication technology products (Lee et al.,
2014). Drivers of participation in social networks include trust
(Lin and Liu, 2012) and interdependence (Teng et al., 2012). Inter-
dependence (the extent to which individuals depend on each other
to make decisions) and network convergence (the extent to which
individuals share common friends) are important for developing
online social networks (Parks and Floyd, 1996). However, insuffi-
cient research has been done into the drivers of interdependence
and network convergence in virtual communities. Thus research
into this issue should contribute novel knowledge to communica-
tion literature and provide insights for electronic commerce man-
agers to form and utilize online customer networks.
The purpose of this study is to examine drivers of interdepen-
dence and network convergence in social networks in virtual
communities. To choose what potential drivers to include, this
⇑ Address: 259, Wenhua 1st Rd, Gueishan, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan. Tel.: +886
32118800x5418; fax: +886 32118500.
E-mail addresses: chingit@mail.cgu.edu.tw, cguchingit@yahoo.com.tw
study reviewed the pertinent literature and one classic theory,
i.e., the weak/strong tie theory (Granovetter, 1973). This is among
the most well-known network theories (Borgatti and Halgin, 2011)
and explains how individuals form strong ties, and how weak and
strong ties affect the development of social networks. Thus, this
theory was found to be suitable for adoption in the present study.
The weak/strong tie theory (Granovetter, 1973) posits that
strong ties foster local (i.e., within a group) cohesion while weak
ties provide opportunities for integrating individuals into commu-
nities. Moreover, interpersonal tie strength grows as associated
individuals devote time, emotion, intimacy, and reciprocal services
to the tie (Granovetter, 1973). Such commitment may be motivated
by an individual’s efforts to satisfy their own needs or those of
others in social networks. In social networks, maintaining relation-
ships with others is associated with the need for affiliation
(Schultheiss, 2008), while helping others is related to the person-
ality trait, altruism (Rushton et al., 1981). Hence this study consid-
ered the need for affiliation and altruism. Whether a commitment
of time and emotion can effectively lead to interpersonal tie
strength may depend on an individual’s ability to understand
others, which is the essence of social intelligence (Yeh, 2013).
Therefore, this study also considered social intelligence. In short,
this study consulted the weak/strong tie theory (Granovetter,
1973) to identify three potential drivers (i.e., the need for affiliation,
altruism, and social intelligence) for the building of social networks.
Strong ties foster cohesion within a group (Granovetter, 1973)
and such cohesion can be described by the extent to which

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2015.01.004
1567-4223/Ó 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article in press as: Teng, C.-I. Drivers of interdependence and network convergence in social networks in virtual communities. Electron.
Comm. Res. Appl. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2015.01.004
2 Ching-I Teng / Electronic Commerce Research and Applications xxx (2015) xxx–xxx
individuals depend on each other to make decisions, i.e., interdepen-
dence (as defined by Parks and Floyd, 1996). Moreover, weak ties
provide opportunities for integrating individuals into communities
(Granovetter, 1973). When individuals are integrated into close
friends’ communities, they share more common friends with these
close friends, i.e., increased network convergence (Parks and Floyd,
1996). Therefore, this study aims to examine whether and how the
need for affiliation, altruism, social intelligence, and their interac-
tions, are related to interdependence and network convergence.
2. Theoretical background and hypotheses development
2.1. Weak/strong tie theory
Social networks contain numerous interpersonal ties that link
individuals. The strength of such ties develops when individuals
devote time, emotion, intimacy, and reciprocal services to the tie
(Granovetter, 1973). Although strong ties intuitively contribute to
the development of social networks, weak ties transmit crucial
information from one network to another (Granovetter, 1973).
Therefore, as strong ties foster local (i.e., within a group) cohesion
while weak ties provide opportunities for integrating individuals
into communities, each contributes to the development of social
networks in different ways.
The weak/strong tie theory has been widely applied and pro-
poses that intergroup ties consist disproportionately of weak ties
(Granovetter, 1973). This proposition and others have been verified
by subsequent literature (e.g., Friedkin, 1980). This theory explains
the tendency for an individual to have more access to job-opening
information via weak ties than via strong ties (Granovetter, 1983).
Weak ties also facilitate the provision of useful information among
organizational contexts (Constant et al., 1996). Strong ties lead to
the receipt of useful knowledge while weak ties provide access
to nonredundant information (Levin and Cross, 2004). Although
weak ties provide access to useful and non-complex knowledge,
strong ties provide access to complex knowledge (Hansen, 1999).
Strong ties also motivate people to use more media to communi-
cate than weak ties (Haythornthwaite, 2005), indicating that both
weak and strong ties are important and should be included in stud-
ies on information and communication systems.
The weak/strong tie theory is useful for developing a research
model describing social networks in virtual communities, where
individuals devote time and emotion, and provide information or
services reciprocally to other individuals, i.e., increasing strength
of specific ties. Strong ties then contribute to local cohesion, which
helps individuals develop social networks (Granovetter, 1973).
Individuals in virtual communities typically do not meet in person,
but exchange information and make decisions. Therefore, the local
cohesion or development of social networks in virtual communi-
ties should be measured by how individuals depend on each other
to make decisions, i.e., their interdependence (as defined by Parks
and Floyd, 1996).
Moreover, weak ties contribute to the development of social
networks in linking groups, i.e., integrating individuals into multi-
ple communities (Granovetter, 1973). In virtual communities, indi-
viduals integrated into a close friend’s community have mutual
friends with the close friend, i.e., increased network convergence
(as defined by Parks and Floyd, 1996). Therefore, the present study
chose to use interdependence and network convergence that
should be key to the development of social networks.
2.2. Need for affiliation
The need for affiliation is an individual’s desire to belong to a
social group (Schultheiss, 2008). Individuals with a strong need
Please cite this article in press as: Teng, C.-I. Drivers of interdependence and network convergence in social networks in virtual communities. Electron.
Comm. Res. Appl. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2015.01.004
for affiliation enjoy establishing and maintaining close relation-
ships with another person or group (Schultheiss, 2008). The need
for affiliation motivates an individual to frequently interact with
others. In virtual communities, individuals are motivated to engage
in social activities (Lee et al., 2012) and social motivation drives
individuals to cooperate with others, engage in teamwork, and
build interpersonal relationships (Yee, 2006). Such cooperation,
engagement, and relationship-building activities require indi-
viduals to devote the time and energy that is essential for creating
strong interpersonal ties (Granovetter, 1973), or close relation-
ships. Close relationships exist in virtual communities (Huynh
et al., 2013) and in such strong (or close) relationships, partners
can incur emotional rewards (e.g., care or happiness) and costs
(e.g., anger or anxiety) (Guerrero et al., 2012), which impact on
the formation of partnerships and cooperation (the interdepen-
dence theory, Rusbult, 1980). Hence, those individuals consult each
other when making decisions, i.e., they have strong interdepen-
dence (Parks and Floyd, 1996), motivating this study to hypothe-
size a positive relationship between the need for affiliation and
interdependence.
H1. The need for affiliation is positively related to interdependence.
The need for affiliation characterizes an individual with the
desire to belong to a social group (Schultheiss, 2008), and this need
thus motivates the individual to seek out social groups to which
they can belong. In online communities, friends’ social groups
(e.g., guilds in online games and clubs on social networking sites)
are just a click away, enabling frequent interactions with members
of friends’ social networks. Frequent interactions typically involve
exchanges of ideas and information, and effort, and thus such
interaction likely leads to an increased number of acquaintances
or weak ties, which help integrate individuals into communities
(or social networks) (Granovetter, 1973), i.e., making friends in
friends’ social networks. Hence, an individual with a strong need
for affiliation likely makes friends through friends’ social networks,
resulting in a substantial overlap between the individual’s own
social network and friends’ social networks. Such an overlap is
called network convergence (Parks and Floyd, 1996). This study
thus hypothesizes a positive relationship between the need for
affiliation and network convergence.
H2. The need for affiliation is positively related to network
convergence.
2.3. Altruism
Altruism is an individual’s tendency to help others (Rushton
et al., 1981) when they can choose to help or not (Fritzsche et al.,
2000). Altruism is related to helping others via information sys-
tems (Lee and Lee, 2010), and community engagement behavior
(Lee et al., 2011). Helping others and engaging in community activ-
ities require the devotion of time, emotion, and reciprocal services
that are essential for forming strong ties (Granovetter, 1973).
Strong ties represent strong interpersonal relationships in which
partners enhance each other’s wellbeing (Brown and Brown,
2006), indicating that they likely consult each other when making
decisions i.e. interdependence (Parks and Floyd, 1996). Therefore,
this study hypothesizes a positive relationship between altruism
and interdependence.
H3. Altruism is positively related to interdependence.
Altruism is a facet of the broad trait agreeableness (Zeidner and
Shani-Zinovich, 2011). Highly agreeable individuals are coop-
erative, warm, and kind (Saucier, 1994), and thus are typically
 Ching-I Teng / Electronic Commerce Research and Applications xxx (2015) xxx–xxx
appreciated and accepted in groups of people, or social networks.
Moreover, agreeable online community members enjoy social
activities (Graham and Gosling, 2013). Hence highly altruistic indi-
viduals enjoy interactions with others. In online communities, it is
easy to access friends’ friends, facilitating the interaction of highly
altruistic individuals with them. Interactions help individuals to
get to know acquaintances or form weak ties, which in turn help
integrate these individuals into communities (or social networks)
(Granovetter, 1973). That is, highly altruistic individuals likely
incorporate friends’ friends into their own social networks, increas-
ing the overlap between their own social networks and those of
friends, i.e., increased network convergence (Parks and Floyd,
1996). Therefore, this study hypothesizes a positive relationship
between altruism and network convergence.
H4. Altruism is positively related to network convergence.
2.4. Social intelligence
Social intelligence is the ability to understand others that helps
an individual to successfully engage in interpersonal interactions
(Yeh, 2013). Social intelligence also helps solve social problems
(Beheshtifar and Roasaei, 2012) and when doing so, individuals
are required to devote time and emotion that are essential for
forming strong ties (Granovetter, 1973). Strong ties represent
strong interpersonal relationships in which partners can alter each
other’s wellbeing (Brown and Brown, 2006) and thus are likely to
consult each other when making decisions, i.e., interdependence
(Parks and Floyd, 1996). Therefore, this study hypothesizes a posi-
tive relationship between social intelligence and interdependence.
H5. Social intelligence is positively related to interdependence.
Social intelligence fuels successful engagement in interpersonal
interactions (Yeh, 2013). Such success can increase the likelihood
that friends refer a target individual to their friends for the provi-
sion of further help or information. Such referral indicates the
opportunity to integrate into friends’ social networks, or have their
friends as acquaintances, or build weak ties. Moreover, such suc-
cess may further encourage individuals to embrace opportunities
to engage with, and build new relationships with, the friends in
friends’ social networks. That is, individuals having high levels of
social intelligence likely have their social networks overlapping
with their friends’ social networks, hence convergence (Parks and
Floyd, 1996). Therefore, this study hypothesizes a positive relation-
ship between social intelligence and network convergence.
H6. Social intelligence is positively related to network convergence.
2.5. Interactions between the need for affiliation, altruism, and social
intelligence
The need for affiliation is the desire to belong to a social group
(Schultheiss, 2008). Such a desire motivates an individual to fre-
quently interact with others. To engage in frequent interactions,
an individual should devote sufficient time and energy that are
vital for creating strong ties (Granovetter, 1973) or close relation-
ships. Such close relationships bond members using emotional
rewards and costs (Guerrero et al., 2012), inducing members to
consult each other when making decisions, i.e., they have strong
interdependence (Parks and Floyd, 1996). In the above process,
strong ties can be created more effectively when an individual
can effectively utilize interpersonal interactions, i.e., the individual
has a high level of social intelligence (Yeh, 2013). Therefore, an
individual with a high level of social intelligence can effectively
Please cite this article in press as: Teng, C.-I. Drivers of interdependence and network convergence in social networks in virtual communities. Electron.
Comm. Res. Appl. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2015.01.004
3
build strong relationships (or strong ties), facilitating the formation
of interdependence. Hence, this study hypothesizes that the rela-
tionship between the need for affiliation and interdependence
should be stronger for those individuals having higher levels of
social intelligence.
H7. Social intelligence strengthens the relationship between the
need for affiliation and interdependence.
In the development of H2, the need for affiliation motivates an
individual to make friends and to make friends from friends’ social
networks. Since social intelligence is essential for an individual to
have successful interpersonal interactions (Yeh, 2013), i.e., skillful
exchanges, it can help individuals to get to know acquaintances
that are defined as weak ties (Granovetter, 1973). Hence social
intelligence can facilitate or hasten the process of making friends.
Therefore, individuals with high levels of social intelligence can
likely make friends from friends’ social networks more quickly
and successfully than those with low levels, increasing the degree
to which their social networks overlap with their friends’ social
networks, i.e., convergence (Parks and Floyd, 1996). Therefore, this
study hypothesizes that the relationship between the need for
affiliation and network convergence is stronger for individuals
having higher levels of social intelligence.
H8. Social intelligence strengthens the relationship between the
need for affiliation and network convergence.
Altruistic individuals enjoy helping others (Rushton et al., 1981),
even when they have freedom to help or not (Fritzsche et al., 2000).
Helping others requires that an individual devote the time and
energy that are the key to creating strong ties (Granovetter, 1973)
or close relationships. Close relationships further provide members
with the ability to decide on the rewards and costs of other mem-
bers (Guerrero et al., 2012), thus leading members to consult each
other when making decisions i.e., the essence of interdependence
(Parks and Floyd, 1996). Therefore, altruism should be positively
related to interdependence. In the above process, helping others
may or may not effectively create strong ties, depending on
whether an individual masters interpersonal interactions, i.e.,
whether an individual is socially intelligent (Yeh, 2013). A socially
intelligent individual can successfully utilize helping behavior to
create strong ties, and subsequently formulates strong interdepen-
dence. Hence, social intelligence should strengthen the relationship
between altruism and interdependence.
H9. Social intelligence strengthens the relationship between
altruism and interdependence.
Altruism is one facet of agreeableness (Zeidner and Shani-
Zinovich, 2011). In the development of H4, agreeable individuals
enjoy engaging in social activities (Graham and Gosling, 2013)
with friends from friends’ social networks (i.e., building weak ties),
and subsequently are integrated into the friends’ social networks.
In the process, socially intelligent individuals can effectively utilize
the exchanges to create weak ties, because they understand others
and can successfully engage in interpersonal interactions (Yeh,
2013), i.e., skillful exchanges. Thus, social intelligence can be
inferred to strengthen the relationship between altruism and net-
work convergence.
H10. Social intelligence strengthens the relationship between
altruism and network convergence.
In the development of H1, the need for affiliation motivates an
individual to frequently engage in exchanges which in turn lead to
the devotion of time and emotion that are essential for creating
4 Ching-I Teng / Electronic Commerce Research and Applications xxx (2015) xxx–xxx
Fig. 1. Research framework.
strong ties or strong relationships (Granovetter, 1973). Strong rela-
tionships further fuel interdependence (Guerrero et al., 2012;
Rusbult, 1980). In the developmental process, altruism motivates
an individual to help others (Rushton et al., 1981), and thus
increases the devotion of time and emotion. Such increased devo-
tion speeds up the formation of strong ties and eventually interde-
pendence. Thus altruism is hypothesized as strengthening the
relationship between the need for affiliation and interdependence.
H11. Altruism strengthens the relationship between the need for
affiliation and interdependence.
In the development of H2, the need for affiliation motivates an
individual to seek a sense of belonging in social groups
(Schultheiss, 2008). Such an individual seeks opportunities to
engage in interactions and exchanges with members of friends’
social networks. Opportunities include those associated with help-
ing such members. Highly altruistic individuals enthusiastically
engage in community activities (Lee et al., 2011) and enjoy helping
others (Rushton et al., 1981). Therefore, they enjoy taking the
opportunity to engage in friends’ social networks, and eventually
seamlessly make friends in friends’ social networks, i.e., conver-
gence (Parks and Floyd, 1996). Therefore, altruism likely strength-
ens the relationship between the need for affiliation and network
convergence.
H12. Altruism strengthens the relationship between the need for
affiliation and network convergence.
Fig. 1 illustrates the framework and the hypotheses.
3. Methods
3.1. Sample and data collection process
This study is a cross-sectional one. An online questionnaire was
used for collecting data, with invitations posted in online forums
that gamers frequently visit. Online gamers were chosen as the tar-
get population because they enjoy social activities (Yee, 2006) and
actively form social networks (Lee et al., 2012). Moreover, they
have been frequently chosen as targeted virtual communities in
previous studies (as in Hsu and Lu, 2007; Teng et al., 2012).
The invitations were posted on forums associated with
bbs.ppt.cc, www05.eyny.com, www.gamebase.com.tw, forum.
gamer.com.tw, and www.98173.com.tw. The data were collected
in 2 months.
When online gamers clicked on the link in an invitation, they
were directed to the online questionnaire, which contained items
measuring the constructs of this study. Gamers were also asked
to leave their demographic data and information regarding their
online game usage. Gamers participating in this study were given
an opportunity to join a lottery with 50 winners each receiving a
Please cite this article in press as: Teng, C.-I. Drivers of interdependence and network convergence in social networks in virtual communities. Electron.
Comm. Res. Appl. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2015.01.004
Table 1
Criteria and the number of invalid responses.
Criterion Number
Younger than 10 years old 12
Had not played online games in the previous month 8
Had the same answer for consecutive items for more than one-fifth 101
of the total items
Did not provide a meaningful name for their favorite game or their 13
role/occupation/race of the main avatar
Duplicate participation (provided duplicate email addresses) 72
Total 206
US$ 6 gift certificate. The lottery was designed both as an incentive
and as a token of gratitude for their participation.
In total, 3292 responses were collected. To increase the validity
of the data, this study established five criteria to identify invalid
responses. Table 1 lists the criteria and the number of responses
that were determined as invalid. In total, 206 responses were
determined as invalid, leaving 3086 valid responses (93.7% of
3292 responses) for further analyses.
3.2. Measures and psychometric properties
This study surveyed the participants on their perceptions of the
social networks, rather than of any individuals. The reason is that
this study aimed to collect a representative sample and if it had
used the dyadic approach, i.e., measuring each link between any
pair of participants, the sample size would have been larger than
the controllable extent. A sample size of more than 3000 (as in this
study) has more than 4.5 million possible links between par-
ticipants. Moreover, it is infeasible to ask any individual to rate
items regarding more than 3000 others. Feasibility may explain
the much smaller samples (than the sample in the present study)
in the literature (Constant et al., 1996, n 6 82; Friedkin, 1980,
n = 97; Haythornthwaite, 2005, n 6 23; Levin and Cross, 2004,
n = 127). In this regard, aggregating the perceptions of more than
3000 participants likely provides a snapshot of the networks and
can provide an alternative perspective. Limitations are discussed
in the last section.
This study consulted the literature to use previously validated
measures and, to better fit the research context, slightly modified
the wording of some items. The five items measuring the need
for affiliation come from Armeli et al. (1998); the three measuring
altruism come from Netemeyer et al. (1997); the five measuring
social intelligence come from Steers and Braunstein (1976); while
the seven measuring interdependence and the seven measuring
network convergence come from Parks and Floyd (1996).
Retaining the items having a low item-to-total correlation likely
destroys unidimensionality in measurement. Therefore, this study
dropped items that had a low item-to-total correlation (i.e., <.50)
with items measuring the same construct and those that had
cross-loadings to strengthen the unidimensionality of each con-
struct. Using this criterion, two items measuring social intelligence,
two measuring interdependence, and one measuring network con-
vergence were dropped. All items involve a response option rang-
ing from 1 (very disagreeable) to 5 (very agreeable). Higher scores
indicate higher levels in the study constructs.
This study used the LISREL (linear structural equations) v.8.80
software (Scientific Software International, Chicago, Illinois, USA)
to conduct the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to directly eval-
uate the reliability and validity of the study measures. Moreover,
this study adopted the SPSS v.21 software (International Business
Machines, Armonk, New York, USA) to conduct all the other
analyses.
 Ching-I Teng / Electronic Commerce Research and Applications xxx (2015) xxx–xxx 5

This study used the following indices to assess the reliability of Table 3
the measures. First, items measuring each construct have a Cron- Correlation between the study constructs.

bach’s a value exceeding .70, except for the items measuring social M SD 1 2 3 4
intelligence that have a Cronbach’s a value of .69. Such statistics 1. Interdependence 3.54 0.76
approximately fulfilled the criterion (>.70) of Nunnally and 2. Network convergence 3.02 1.00 .49**
Bernstein (1994). Second, the composite reliability (CR) for items 3. Need for affiliation 3.52 0.86 .41** .34**
measuring each construct exceeds .76; and the average variance 4. Altruism 3.61 0.78 .40** .32** .36**
5. Social intelligence 3.86 0.67 .53** .41** .51** .40**
extracted (AVE) for items measuring each construct exceeds .52,
satisfying the criteria (CR>.60; AVE>.50) of Bagozzi and Yi (1988). Note.
**
All the above statistics indicate adequate reliability of the study p < .01.

measures.
This study uses indicator loadings for evaluating convergent
sizes larger than 300 also showed significant v2 value (e.g.,
validity. All the items have indicator loadings exceeding .61, indi-
_
Kaczmarek and Dra˛zkowski, 2014; Park and Chung, 2011). The
cating sufficient convergent validity (i.e., loadings should exceed
examination of reliability, validity, and model fit indicates that
.50) (Anderson and Gerbing, 1988). Moreover, the maximum
measures used in this study perform adequately in psychometric
squared correlation for each pair of constructs (.28) is smaller than
properties.
the minimum AVE (.52), indicating sufficient discriminant validity
Table 3 lists the correlations between the study variables. The
(Fornell and Larcker, 1981). Table 2 lists the items and the results
correlations range between .32 and .53. This study follows the sug-
of the CFA.
gestion of Podsakoff et al. (2003) to examine common method vari-
In this study, the model fit is evaluated as adequate (CFI = .99,
ance (CMV). This study compares the original measurement model
NNFI = .98, and RMSEA = .052) while the indices have values con-
(i.e., the model in which five constructs are distinctive and corre-
forming to the suggestions in the literature (i.e., CFI>.95,
lated) with the model which incorporates CMV (i.e., the model in
Iacobucci, 2010; NNFI>.90, Bagozzi, 2010; RMSEA<.08, McDonald
which all constructs are explained by a second-order construct,
and Ho, 2002). Moreover, v2 and v2/df are sensitive to sample size
named as CMV), and finds that the latter model fits the data sig-
(Hair et al., 1998; Marsh et al., 1988), and thus this study does not
nificantly worse than the original measurement model in terms
regard them as critical indices. Previous studies having sample
of creating a significantly higher v2 value (Dv2 = 887.31–
757.80 = 129.51, Ddf = 85–80 = 5, Dv2 > 11.07 = v2(a = .05, df = 5).
Hence, CMV can be regarded as minimum in this study.
Table 2
Results of the confirmatory factor analysis.
4. Results
Construct and items k a CR AVE
Interdependence .77 .82 .60 4.1. Background information of the sample
My in-game friends and I rely on each other. .76
My in-game friends and I have a strong influence on .79
Table 4 lists the demographic and game use-related information
each other’s decisions.
My in-game friends and I seek each other’s opinions .77 of the sample. Of the sample, 84.4% are male, 61.7% are aged
when solving problems. between 20 and 29 years old, 72.6% have attended universities,
Network convergence .87 .89 .74 and 44.2% have a monthly income exceeding US$ 200. The mean
My in-game friends and I contact a lot of the same .86 age is 21.67 years with a standard deviation of 5.17 years. On aver-
people on the Net. age, respondents have played their favorite online game for
My in-game friends and I are involved with many of .90 2.81 years with a standard deviation of 2.44 years. They played
the same newsgroups and/or mailing lists.
their favorite game for an average of 16.26 h per week with a stan-
My in-game friends and I have overlapping social .81
circles on the Net. dard deviation of 18.32 h. In the recent studies, the proportion of
male gamers ranged from 70.0% (Kowert et al., 2014), 91.2%
Need for affiliation .84 .88 .71
One of the most enjoyable things I can think of that I .76 (Nagygyörgy et al., 2013), 93.3% (Kaczmarek and Dra˛zkowski,_
like to do is just watching people and seeing what 2014), to 95.1% (Fuster et al., 2014). However, some statistics indi-
they are like. cate that male gamers may be fewer (i.e., 54%) (Takahashi, 2013).
I think being close to others, listening to them, and .88
Moreover, the mean age of online gamers ranged from 18.64
relating to them at a one-on-one level are my
favorite and most satisfying pastimes.
_
(Kaczmarek and Dra˛zkowski, 2014), 20.72 (Nagygyörgy et al.,
Just being around others and finding out about them .88 2013), 26.49 (Fuster et al., 2014), to 33.57 (Kowert et al., 2014).
is one of the most interesting things I can think of The gender composition and age range of the present study are
doing. consistent with those in the recent studies.
Altruism .87 .90 .75
I will help orient new online gamers even though .81
4.2. Hypothesis testing
they do not need me.
I am always ready to help other online gamers .91
around me. This study used hierarchical regressions to test the study
I am willing to give my time to helping other online .88 hypotheses. Dependent variables are interdependence and net-
gamers.
work convergence. Control variables, i.e., gender, age, education,
Social intelligence .69 .76 .52 income, years of playing, and hours of playing per week, were first
When I have a choice, I try to work in a group instead .74
entered into the regressions (i.e., regression 1, or R1). ‘‘Main
of by myself.
I pay a good deal of attention to the feelings of others .80
effects’’, i.e., the need for affiliation, altruism, and social intelli-
at work. gence were then entered into the regressions (i.e., R2). Following
I find myself talking to those around me about non- .61 the main effects, the interaction terms were entered into the
business related matters. regressions in the same manner (i.e., R3).
Note. CR represents composite reliability. AVE represents average variance Prior to entering the figures into the regressions, this study used
extracted. the mean centering process suggested by Aiken and West (1991) to

Please cite this article in press as: Teng, C.-I. Drivers of interdependence and network convergence in social networks in virtual communities. Electron.
Comm. Res. Appl. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2015.01.004
6 Ching-I Teng / Electronic Commerce Research and Applications xxx (2015) xxx–xxx

Table 4 Table 5
Distribution of the background information of the respondents. Sources of interdependence.

Variable Category No. % R1 R2 R3

Gender Male 2606 84.4 Gender .01 (.04) .01 (.03) .00 (.03)
Female 480 15.6 Age –.14**(.00) –.06**(.00) –.06**(.00)
Education –.00 (.02) .02 (.02) .02 (.02)
Age 10–14 years old 217 7.0
Income .06* (.01) .02 (.01) .02 (.01)
15–19 years old 775 25.1
Years of playing .02 (.01) –.00 (.01) .00 (.01)
20–24 years old 1329 43.1
Hours of playing per week .15**(.00) .09**(.00) .10**(.00)
25–29 years old 573 18.6
Need for affiliation .13**(.02) .14**(.02)
30–34 years old 140 4.5
Altruism .19**(.01) .19**(.01)
35–39 years old 31 1.0
Social intelligence .37**(.02) .37**(.02)
40–55 years old 18 0.6
Social intelligence  need –.01 (.02)
Missing 3 0.1
for affiliation
Education Primary school 32 1.0 Social intelligence  altruism -.05* (.02)
Junior high school 227 7.4 Need for affiliation  altruism .07**(.02)
Senior high school 585 19.0 R2 .04 .35 .35
University 1856 60.1 DF 18.64** 490.24** 4.76**
Graduate institute 386 12.5
Note. Numbers are standardized beta coefficients. Numbers in parentheses are
Monthly income 6US$ 200 1722 55.8
standard errors. Numbers in R3 are used for testing hypotheses.
US$ 201–400 398 12.9 *
p < .05.
US$ 401–600 165 5.3 **
p < .01.
US$ 601–800 194 6.3
US$ 801–1000 261 8.5
PUS$ 1001 346 11.2
Years of experience in playing <1 year 620 20.1 Table 6
their favorite game Sources of network convergence.
P1 and <2 years 673 21.8
P2 and <3 years 506 16.4 R1 R2 R3
P3 and <4 years 330 10.7 Gender –.02 (.05) –.01 (.04) –.01 (.04)
P4 and <5 years 241 7.8 Age –.13** (.01) –.07** (.01) –.06* (.01)
P5 and <6 years 299 9.7 Education .03 (.03) .05* (.02) .06**(.02)
P6 and <21 years 417 13.5 Income .06* (.01) .03 (.01) .03 (.01)
Hours per week playing <7 h 1210 39.2 Years of playing .09**(.01) .07**(.01) .07**(.01)
their favorite game Hours of playing per week .10** (.00) .06** (.00) .06** (.00)
P7 and <14 h 623 20.2 Need for affiliation .14**(.02) .14**(.02)
P14 and <21 h 463 15.0 Altruism .15**(.02) .15**(.02)
P21 and <28 h 173 5.6 Social intelligence .28**(.03) .29**(.03)
P28 and <35 h 201 6.5 Social intelligence  need .07**(.03)
P35 h 414 13.4 for affiliation
Missing 2 0.1 Social intelligence  altruism –.01 (.03)
Need for affiliation  altruism .03 (.03)
R2 .03 .22 .23
DF 13.16** 258.75** 8.38**
create the interaction term. The mean centering process is to move Note. Numbers are standardized beta coefficients. Numbers in parentheses are
the means of the independent variables to zero and then multiply standard errors. Numbers in R3 are used for testing hypotheses.
them to create an interaction term. Such a process helps resolve *
p < .05.
**
the multicollinearity issues between interaction terms and main p < .01.
effect terms.
Whether the associated regression coefficients were significant-
ly different from zero and consistent in direction with the hypothe- emotional cohesion and subsequently interdependent relation-
ses was used to test the hypotheses. Such use of hierarchical ships, regardless of whether gamers understand others (i.e., high
regressions can rigorously test the hypotheses, and meanwhile or low in social intelligence). Such likelihood negates the mod-
clarify the extent to which the hypothesized effects can explain erator role of social intelligence. Moreover, as hypothesized, the
the variance of the interested dependence variables. Table 5 lists interaction between social intelligence and the need for affiliation
the analytical results regarding interdependence and Table 6 lists is positively related to network convergence (b = .07, p < .01), sup-
the analytical results regarding network convergence. porting H8. However, H10 and H12 were not supported. The reason
According to the suggestion of Cohen (1992), the R2 in the pre- may be that altruism can result in enlarged social networks regard-
sent study (i.e., .23 and .35) should be evaluated as moderate to less of the skills in interpersonal interactions (i.e., social intelli-
large in effect size. The need for affiliation is positively related to gence). That is, people who are willing to help others are
interdependence (b = .14, p < .01), supporting H1. The need for typically welcomed even when they are not highly skillful in com-
affiliation is also positively related to network convergence munication, explaining the nonfinding for H10. Moreover, the need
(b = .14, p < .01), supporting H2. Moreover, altruism is positively for affiliation strongly motivates individuals to make friends from
related to both interdependence (b = .19, p < .01) and network con- friend’ social networks, regardless of whether they are high or
vergence (b = .15, p < .01), supporting both H3 and H4. Social intel- low in altruism, explaining the nonfinding for H12.
ligence is positively related to interdependence (b = .37, p < .01)
and network convergence (b = .29, p < .01), supporting H5 and H6. 5. Discussion and conclusions
With consideration of the main effects, only the interaction
between the need for affiliation and altruism is positively related 5.1. Main findings and contributions
to interdependence (b = .07, p < .01), supporting H11 but not H7
and H9. The reason may be that strong needs to engage in interac- This study found that the need for affiliation, altruism, and
tions (e.g., the need for affiliation and altruism) suffice to create social intelligence are positively related to interdependence and

Please cite this article in press as: Teng, C.-I. Drivers of interdependence and network convergence in social networks in virtual communities. Electron.
Comm. Res. Appl. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2015.01.004
 Ching-I Teng / Electronic Commerce Research and Applications xxx (2015) xxx–xxx
network convergence. Moreover, the need for affiliation and altru-
ism interact to influence interdependence. The interaction
between the need for affiliation and social intelligence is positively
related to network convergence.
This study contributes to current electronic commerce lit-
erature by identifying novel drivers and their independent and
interactive influences on interdependence and network conver-
gence in virtual communities. This study is distinct in its introduc-
tion of the weak/strong tie theory to develop the research
framework, which in turn proves the ability of this theory to
explain the formulation of interdependence and network conver-
gence in virtual communities.
5.2. Theoretical implications
This study used the weak/strong tie theory (Granovetter, 1973)
as a theoretical foundation to develop all hypotheses. Most of these
were supported by the analytical results, indicating the theory’s
applicability. That is, this study extends the theory’s applicability
to an explanation of interdependence and network convergence
formation in virtual environments. Since social issues are current
to various academic areas (e.g., Lin and Liu, 2012; Teng et al.,
2012; Wang et al., 2013), extension of the applicability promotes
the weak/strong tie theory. The introduction of this theory to
explaining various social issues can increase the impact of the pre-
sent study and associated studies.
Interdependence in this study can be a proxy for tie strength.
Network convergence can be a proxy for neighborhood overlap
rate (NOR, for details, see Onnela et al., 2007). The positive correla-
tion between interdependence and network convergence (as in
Table 3) thus confirms the positive relation between tie strength
and NOR (as in Onnela et al., 2007).
In recent literature, Teng et al. (2012) found that achievement-
or goal-related factors (i.e., challenges) can directly increase user
loyalty (or continuance intention) via increased interdependence.
The present study is in line with Teng et al. (2012) in recognizing
the critical role of interdependence. However, it is novel in intro-
ducing social factors in explaining interdependence. The findings
of the present study contribute to the literature by increasing
understanding of the formation of interdependence.
As a pioneering work on social networks in cyberspace, Parks
and Floyd (1996) found that relationships begun online could
migrate to the real world. The present study is motivated by their
work emphasizing the importance of interdependence and net-
work convergence. Although the two constructs are important in
explaining communication in cyberspace, insufficient research
had been devoted to fully discovering how to develop or change
them. The present study joins the current trend of discussing the
significance of interdependence (e.g., Teng et al., 2012). Findings
of the present study can remind subsequent researchers of the use-
fulness of interdependence and network convergence, and thus can
promote knowledge development capitalizing on these two impor-
tant constructs.
In the literature describing strong (or interdependent) relation-
ships, Guerrero et al. (2012) posit that partners in strong relation-
ships can incur rewards and costs to each other. The present study
agrees with the proposition and uses it to develop a number of
hypotheses. Most of these are supported, confirming the proposi-
tion of Guerrero et al. (2012). The present study considered the
proposition an important component for developing hypotheses.
5.3. Managerial implications
This study identified and verified that some social factors (i.e., the
need for affiliation, altruism, and social intelligence) are positively
related to interdependence and network convergence. That is, these
Please cite this article in press as: Teng, C.-I. Drivers of interdependence and network convergence in social networks in virtual communities. Electron.
Comm. Res. Appl. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2015.01.004
7
social factors likely increase the strength with which members in a
social network are bound (interdependence) and the density of a
network, contributing to the knowledge on social networks.
Although this study collected a survey sample from online game
social networks, these novel social factors provide insights into the
development of social networks among their users, not only to man-
agers of online games, but also to managers of other social media
platforms. The reason is that online games are similar to other social
media platforms in that members share thoughts, interact frequent-
ly, but do not necessarily meet other members in person. For exam-
ple, users of platforms such as www.patientslikeme.com and
www.tuan.com do not necessarily meet other users in person, but
they can share thoughts and interact frequently. Therefore, the find-
ings of this study are likely generalizable to other social media
platforms.
The findings of this study provide valuable insights for man-
agers. First, the need for affiliation is positively related to interde-
pendence and network convergence. The need for affiliation is an
individual’s desire to belong to a social group (Schultheiss, 2008).
The first finding indicates that some users are motivated by their
need to belong to social groups. It is suggested that managers thus
appeal to such needs by using corresponding messages such as
‘‘you are not alone’’, ‘‘we are a family’’ or ‘‘together we can make
a difference’’ to attract those who have a strong need for affiliation.
Moreover, the findings of this study reveal that affiliation is a pow-
erful force binding users or linking social networks. Hence, it is
suggested that managers hold offline or web get-togethers of their
users or use other means to enhance user feelings that ‘‘I belong to
this group’’. The findings of this study suggest that the addition of
users who have a strong need for affiliation likely contributes to
the development of social networks.
For example, www.patientslikeme.com is a website that facili-
tates useful patient interactions and information sharing. Man-
agers of this website could use appeals such as ‘‘you are not the
only one suffering from the disease’’. Knowing that others have
the same disease may attract those who have a strong need for
affiliation to join the social networks of this website. Moreover,
managers can design offline or web get-togethers, or provide con-
venient platforms for members to hold their own gatherings. Such
activities foster the feeling of affiliation, and subsequently con-
tribute to the development of the social network among users of
the website.
Second, this study found that altruism is positively related to
interdependence and social convergence, or the development of
social networks. Therefore, it is suggested that managers of virtual
communities attract highly altruistic individuals and/or encourage
altruistic behavior among users. To attract highly altruistic indi-
viduals, managers may use appeals of ‘‘people need your expertise’’
or ‘‘your solutions are key to others’ problems’’. To encourage
altruistic behavior, managers may introduce technical features that
instantly remind those who can help in answering specific ques-
tions with new inquiries or questions.
For instance, www.tuan.com is an unofficial website of Apple
users. Managers of this website could use ‘‘your solutions are key
to other Apple users’ problems’’ to attract prospective users who
are highly altruistic. Moreover, managers can incorporate a feature
in the system that enables users to define themselves as experts in
certain products or problems. Therefore, new inquiries can directly
be passed to those who have identified themselves as experts in
that product or problem. Such a feature thus facilitates altruistic
behavior which then likely contributes to the development of
social networks.
Third, this study found that social intelligence is positively
related to interdependence and network convergence, and thus
important in the development of social networks. Social intelli-
gence is the ability to understand others (Yeh, 2013). Therefore,
8 Ching-I Teng / Electronic Commerce Research and Applications xxx (2015) xxx–xxx
this finding implies the importance of understanding others. It is
suggested that managers of virtual communities design an exem-
plar question format that assists users to provide necessary infor-
mation for others to understand, interact with, and answer.
Moreover, it is suggested that managers provide clear labels that
show the specific usage/intention of each posting. Such labels
could help users viewing the postings understand them. Further-
more, managers may provide archives of frequently asked ques-
tions and important information to ensure clear understanding.
via clear understanding of others, members of a social network
can develop stronger relations (i.e., increased interdependence)
and make friends in friends’ social networks (i.e., increased net-
work convergence), i.e., facilitating development of social
networks.
5.4. Limitations and future research directions
This study adopts a cross-sectional design, which is useful and
valid in examining correlations. However, such a design is limited
in directly confirming causality. Confirmation of causality may
require experimental and longitudinal designs. Thus it is suggested
that future studies further examine causality among the constructs
included in this study.
This study adopts a psychological assessment approach widely
used in various areas (e.g., Lin and Liu, 2012; Teng et al., 2012).
Given the usefulness of such an approach, the behavioral outcomes
can still provide additional evidence for supporting psychological
theories. Therefore, future studies may measure network conver-
gence using the number or the proportion of commonly owned
friends, i.e., the magnitude of network overlap.
This study chose to adopt the weak/strong tie theory as the the-
oretical foundation to identify relevant constructs and develop
hypotheses. Moreover, it includes frequently used demographics,
such as gender, age, education, and income, as well as relevant
usage variables, such as years of playing and hours of playing per
week. However, one study can never include all relevant variables,
demonstrating the limitations of this study and research opportu-
nities for future studies, which could use other social or psycho-
logical theories to identify additional novel constructs to enrich
the framework herein.
This study collected a large sample and asked participants to
rate the social networks rather than rate all individuals in the
social networks. This approach summarizes the perceptions (or
ego properties) of all participants and thus can be an aggregate
view of the social networks. However, such an approach is limited
from assessing each link (or dyadic properties), restraining this
study from providing a direct assessment on the weak/strong tie
theory. In the big data era, future researchers are encouraged to
cooperate with system providers to collect links (or strength of
ties) among all users. Such cooperation would likely provide a
more complete picture of the development of social networks.
5.5. Conclusions
This study is one of the first exploring—with the use of the per-
spective of weak/strong tie theory—how individuals form social
networks in virtual environments. It initiates the identification of
three vital factors (i.e., the need for affiliation, altruism, and social
intelligence) and their interplay in contributing to the formation of
interdependence and network convergence, and subsequently the
social networks. Previous studies have demonstrated the influ-
ences of social networks in various areas. The findings of this study
provide insights into how the formation of social networks can be
facilitated, increasing the usefulness of findings in previous stud-
ies. Future research can aim to develop and examine a comprehen-
sive framework including a large number of antecedents and
Please cite this article in press as: Teng, C.-I. Drivers of interdependence and network convergence in social networks in virtual communities. Electron.
Comm. Res. Appl. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2015.01.004
consequences of social networks, with the present study as a par-
tial foundation.
Acknowledgements
The author thanks Dr. Mike Roloff for helpful comments on an
earlier version of this paper. The author thanks Ministry of Science
and Technology, Taiwan (MOST 103-2410-H-182-011-MY3) and
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (BMRP644) for financial support.
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