Influence of Sense of Presence on Intention to Participate in a Virtual Community

This research addresses the question of the design of advanced interfaces (e.g., 3D) to encourage participation in virtual communities and support social interaction. While prior studies have examined diverse factors to affect members' intention to participate in virtual communities, they have relatively underestimated a technological influence on members' intention to participate. Considering current virtual communities have been armed with advanced interfaces, it is vital to investigate a technological influence on members' behavioral intention. This paper investigates members' intention to participate in virtual communities by testing a research model consisting of two types of presence (telepresence and social presence) and their antecedents. The research model was empirically tested with data from 207 members of Second Life which is an emerging virtual community equipped with an advanced 3D interface. The results showed our model can be a good framework in understanding members' intention to participate in virtual communities.