A Critical Research on Xiaohongshu for Information Sharing for Chinese Teenagers

Nowadays Xiaohongshu has become the primary communication tool for young people in China, acting as a crucial platform for information sharing and socialization. To understand the multifaceted factors that shape their information sharing behavior on Xiaohongshu, this study applies the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explore how perceived social influence impacts Xiaohongshu user experience, the motivation for information sharing, and perceived usefulness of Xiaohongshu. The study also identifies the influence of Xiaohongshu user experience and motivation for information sharing on perceived usefulness of Xiaohongshu subsequently impacting the information sharing behavior on Xiaohongshu. 390 Chinese teenagers were selected to participate in the study. The structured survey questionnaire was used to collect the data using convenience sampling technique. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling approach with IBM SPSS AMOS software. The findings supported all direct hypotheses (H1-H6) and showed that there are significant correlations among perceived social influence, Xiaohongshu user experience, motivation for information sharing, perceived usefulness of Xiaohongshu, and information sharing behavior on Xiaohongshu. The study also tested the indirect effects through mediation analysis. The mediation results reveal that Xiaohongshu user experience and motivation for information sharing positively mediates the relationship between perceived social influence and perceived usefulness of Xiaohongshu. The findings show that perceived usefulness of Xiaohongshu has a mediation effect between perceived social influence and information sharing behavior on Xiaohongshu. The perceived usefulness of Xiaohongshu also found as a mediator between Xiaohongshu user experience and information sharing behavior on Xiaohongshu as well as between motivation for information sharing and information sharing behavior on Xiaohongshu. The insights from this study can be used to design strategies by different stakeholders such as social media platforms, educators, and policy makers for improving user experience, encouraging responsible information sharing, and creating safe online interaction among teenagers.