Title: Exploring the relationships among forbidden fruit effect, trust, and engagement in online communities

Authors: T.D. Pham Thi

Addresses: Institute of Graduate Education, Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance (UEF), 141-145 Dien Bien Phu, Ward 15, Binh Thanh District, 717000, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract: Maintaining the harmonious development of online communities has become critical to all the community members. However, it is worth exploring what kind of interaction will cause the unfavourable effect. Therefore, with a sample of 334 online community users, the current study aimed to examine the relationship between the online community forbidden fruit effect (FFE), online trust, and online community engagement (OCE). First, we used factor analysis to classify the three variables. Then, SPSS and PROCESS were used for hypothesis testing. The findings showed that: 1) the FFE positively correlates with OCE; 2) Online trust positively correlates with OCE; and 3) Regarding moderating and mediating effects, user trust and information trust partially moderate and mediates the relationship between the FFE and OCE. The findings provided information that is helpful for practitioners and users to maintain the long-term development of online communities.

Keywords: online community; FFF; forbidden fruit effect; trust; engagement; mediating; moderating.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHD.2023.134378

International Journal of Happiness and Development, 2023 Vol.8 No.2, pp.169 - 195

Received: 11 Mar 2023
Accepted: 27 Mar 2023
Published online: 19 Oct 2023 *

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