Consumer participation in virtual communities: The role of personal values and personality

The important role that consumers play in virtual communities as active participants in the value co-creation process has been increasingly acknowledged in recent marketing thought and practice. This study applies and extends the well-established value–attitude–behaviour (VAB) model to investigate how personal values and personality jointly influence consumers' attitude and behaviour towards their participation in virtual communities. The results show that while the resultant conservation value dimension has an indirect influence on consumer participation behaviour in virtual communities through attitude, the extraversion trait has a direct effect. The findings clarify our understanding of how personal values and personality differently predict consumer participation in virtual communities, and confirm the role of personal values and the VAB model in explaining this phenomenon. This study suggests significant implications for virtual community marketing.