earticle

영어

A growing body of research explores how users of online communities navigate through large-scale platforms to find the information they seek. This study builds on the theories of homophily, structural embeddedness, and social exchange to investigate how interest homophily and existing communication structures serve as mechanisms driving information searches and the subsequent formation of communication networks in these communities. Specifically, we analyze comment-on-post tie formation using network data from “Today’s House,” the largest online user community specializing in interior design in Korea. Employing the LR-QAP method, a permutation-based hypothesis testing algorithm for social network data, our research identifies that network tie formation is driven by both homophilous information searches based on instrumental and hedonic interests, as well as by structurally induced searches such as preferential attachment, reciprocity, and transitivity. In addition, we investigate the contingent effects of communication structure on homophilous tie formation. Our findings suggest that while network-wide structural characteristics enhance homophilous tie formation based on instrumental interests, local network processes leverage homophily based on hedonic interests. We conclude by discussing the theoretical implications of the differential influence of participation motivations on information search patterns and the practical implications for the design of online communities.