Despite the increasing popularity of viral marketing, factors critical to such a new communication medium
remain largely unknown. This paper examines one of the critical factors, namely Internet users' motivations
to pass along online content. Conceptualizing the act of forwarding online content as a special case of a more
general communication behavior, we identify four potential motivations: (1) the need to be part of a group,
(2) the need to be individualistic, (3) the need to be altruistic, and (4) the need for personal growth. Using a
survey of young adults, we examine the relationship between these motivations and the frequency of
passing along online content. We also investigate if high trait curiosity can indirectly lead to more
forwarding by increasing the amount of online content consumed. Results show that Internet users, who are
more individualistic and/or more altruistic, tend to forward more online content than others.
© 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights
Despite the increasing popularity of viral marketing, factors critical to such a new communication mediumremain largely unknown. This paper examines one of the critical factors, namely Internet users' motivationsto pass along online content. Conceptualizing the act of forwarding online content as a special case of a moregeneral communication behavior, we identify four potential motivations: (1) the need to be part of a group,(2) the need to be individualistic, (3) the need to be altruistic, and (4) the need for personal growth. Using asurvey of young adults, we examine the relationship between these motivations and the frequency ofpassing along online content. We also investigate if high trait curiosity can indirectly lead to moreforwarding by increasing the amount of online content consumed. Results show that Internet users, who aremore individualistic and/or more altruistic, tend to forward more online content than others.© 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights
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