Cross-Cultural Examination of Music Sharing Intentions on Social Media: A Comparative Study in China and the United States

The study of knowledge-sharing intentions has been well developed. However, little is known about the intention of sharing entertaining information on social media. In this study, we examine motivational factors affecting music sharing on social media using individualism/collectivism as moderators. Drawing on questionnaire data of participants from China (n = 527) and the U.S. (n = 862), we find that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect the music sharing intention in both countries, despite relationship development. Although our hypotheses are not fully proved, we find that the individualism/collectivism framework moderates the variables of social presentation, face risk, and perceived total benefits. Our results indicate that, in China, the individualism/collectivism framework moderates the relationship between perceived total benefits and music sharing intention on social media. While in the US, the individualism/collectivism framework moderates the relationship between the variables, social presentation and face risk, of music sharing intention on social media. The individualism/collectivism framework has no significant influence on the other variables, i.e., perceived enjoyment, social identity, and social presence. Taking the nature of music into consideration, future studies can extend our model to examine more dynamic cultural factors affecting the music sharing intentions on social media.