The reasons why people continue editing Wikipedia content – task value confirmation perspective

Abstract

Recently, Wikipedia has garnered increasing public attention. However, few studies have examined the intentions of individuals who edit Wikipedia content. Furthermore, previous studies ascribed a ‘knowledge sharing’ label to Wikipedia content editors. However, in this work, Wikipedia can be viewed as a platform that allows individuals to show their expertise. This study investigates the underlying reasons that drive individuals to edit Wikipedia content. Based on expectation-confirmation theory and expectancy-value theory for achievement motivations, we propose an integrated model that incorporates psychological and contextual perspectives. Wikipedians from the English-language Wikipedia site were invited to survey. Partial least square was applied to test our proposed model. Analytical results indicated and confirmed that subjective task value, commitment, and procedural justice were significant to satisfaction of Wikipedians; and satisfaction significantly influenced continuance intention to edit Wikipedia content.