An Exploratory Study on Online Prosocial Behavior

정성적 연구를 통한 온라인 친사회적 행동의 동기 요인 탐색

Cyberbullying, i.e., posting malicious comments online, has been identified as a critical issue in the online and social media context. It has become prevalent on a global scale, which happens across all ages. As a way to reduce and prevent cyberbullying, it is important to promote online prosocial behavior. In line with the concept of online prosocial behavior, we suggest posting benevolent comments against posting malicious comments as a new type of online prosocial behavior, which can combat cyberbullying and facilitate positive online culture. This study thus aims to analyze what motivates people to post benevolent comments in the online context. Based on interview methods, we extracted seven driving factors (self-presentation, pleasure, social contribution, emotional support, reputation, monetary reward, and reciprocity) and two inhibiting factors (social anxiety and effort) of posting benevolent comments online. This study has its theoretical contribution in exploring the motivation factors leading to the posting of benevolent comments by extending the concept of online prosocial behavior. It also has its practical implications by providing guidance for promoting prosocial behavior in the online context.