Structural Holes and Peer Knowledge Production in Professional Q&A Communities: A Middle-Range Theory of User Engagement

Authors

Langtao Chen, The University of TulsaFollow
Aaron Baird, Georgia State UniversityFollow
Detmar Straub, Temple UniversityFollow

Abstract

Professional question-and-answer (Q&A) communities have become important online social media platforms for peer-to-peer knowledge production. Such communities are vital for users seeking technical solutions and innovative methods for developing new products and features. A key challenge is ensuring information flows across areas of specialization, as such communities thrive on access to diverse expertise. Yet we know little about how a user’s network brokerage (i.e., the extent to which the user bridges structural holes between groups in the Q&A social network) and related reinforcement mechanisms impact continued user engagement, particularly in contexts where balancing efficient solutions and innovative recommendations from diverse users creates tension. Drawing on the molar theories of structural holes and reinforcement, this study proposes a moderated mediation research model set at the middle range (i.e., with deep connection to the empirical context) that explains the underlying mechanisms in the relationship between Q&A community network brokerage and continued knowledge production. Based on a panel dataset from Game Development Stack Exchange, we find that: (1) network brokerage indeed fosters knowledge receipt, which in turn reinforces users to continue knowledge seeking and contribution; (2) knowledge receipt partially mediates the effects of network brokerage on continued knowledge seeking and contribution; and (3) user tenure negatively moderates the indirect effects of network brokerage on continued knowledge seeking and contribution through knowledge receipt. This research offers theoretical and practical implications for designing and managing online communities dedicated to peer knowledge production.

Recommended Citation

Chen, Langtao; Baird, Aaron; and Straub, Detmar (2025) "Structural Holes and Peer Knowledge Production in Professional Q&A Communities: A Middle-Range Theory of User Engagement," Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 26(2), 363-393.
DOI: 10.17705/1jais.00912
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol26/iss2/7

DOI

10.17705/1jais.00912