“Two-Sided Closure and Content Innovation”

Abstract

Online platforms make it easier and cheaper to create and share content with consumers. However, it can be hard for content creators to navigate through all the information available to them and find new ideas. The traditional idea that having many followers would lead to new ideas (the weak tie theory) may not be as effective in online platforms. To solve this problem, we propose a new network structure called two-sided closure, which includes a peer creator. By connecting with other creators, this structure helps the focal creator to manage overwhelming feedback from followers and promote innovation in content creation. We tested this idea on a popular social media platform and found that joining a creator social group increases the density of two-sided closures, the size of the consumer network, and the cohesiveness of the creator’s personal network. A higher density of two-sided closures leads to more innovative content and can moderate the influence of the size of the network. This study extends social network theory to the context of online platforms and provides insight into the important structural characteristics of online social networks.

Bio

Professor Chong (Alex) Wang is a professor in the Department of Management Science and Information Systems at the Guanghua School of Management, Peking University. He specialises in studying how information is generated, shared, and used in various business and social scenarios in the digital economy. Professor Wang’s research interests span a range of topics, including social media, online networks, platform economy, financial technology, AI, data governance, and digital privacy. His work has been published in leading academic journals such as MIS Quarterly, Management Science, and Information Systems Research. Additionally, Professor Wang serves as an Associate Editor of MIS Quarterly and Information and Management. He holds a Ph.D. in Information Management from the School of Business at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.