THE SUSTAINABILITY OF ONLINE FITNESS COMMUNITY: EMPIRICAL STUDIES FROM INDIVIDUAL AND STRUCTURAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The fitness-related online platforms that aim to promote better health and wellbeing have proliferated in recent years. Despite the increasing prevalence, many initially active online fitness communities fail to retain members. Hence, there is a pressing need to understand the sustainability of such online communities. This thesis consists of two studies investigating the sustainability of fitness-based online communities from both individual and structural perspectives. Particularly, the first study explores the role of technology-enabled competition in cultivating persistent health behavior. The second study explores the sustainability of online fitness community from a network structural perspective. In particular, this study attempt to identify influential users and examine the impact of the loss of such influential users on the community-level outcomes. This thesis develops a better understanding of the sustainability of fitness-based online communities. It reveals the role of technology-enabled competition platforms in engaging members and cultivating their persistent health behavior.