This survey tests the assumption that the following off-the-shelf scales are suitable to predict Online Social Influence (OSI) in Online Social Networks (OSN):
• Attention to social comparison information (Bearden & Rose, 1990)
• Interpersonal communication and influence (Reynolds & Darden, 1971)
• Consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence (Bearden et al., 1989)
• Preference for consistency (Cialdini et al., 1995)
• Public self-consciousness scale (Scheier & Carver, 1985)
• Skepticism toward advertising (Obermiller & Spangenberg, 1998)
• Need for uniqueness (Tian, Bearden, & Hunter, 2001)
To explore whether these scales are determinants of OSI, we will examine their influence on various OSN behaviors (e.g., viewing other OSN members posts with political or consumption-related content). Further, we will examine whether the effect is moderated by the importance of the OSN behaviors (e.g., whether the effect only occurs when politics/consumption is important).
Qualtrics software is used to collect data of 400 Facebook users. The (German-language) survey will be posted on several online platforms (e.g., Facebook).