The Impact of Linguistic Cues on Knowledge Adoption in Online Knowledge Communities: A Signaling Theory Perspective

Online knowledge communities have become an important platform for knowledge exchange without spatial and temporal limits. Knowledge adoption is an important research topic as it is not only the ultimate goal of knowledge exchange, but also affects user engagement and social interaction in online communities. Through the lens of signaling theory, this study proposes a research model that explains how linguistic cues embedded in online user-generated content affect knowledge adoption, with a consideration of the moderating roles of source credibility and normative cues involved in the knowledge exchange process. This study not only provides a nuanced understanding of the impact of a set of important linguistic cues on knowledge adoption, but also provides practical implications for online community developers and managers to develop information system (IS) design features and policies that can better facilitate knowledge adoption and stimulate more active engagement in online knowledge exchange.