虛擬社群形成之意義及其衡量指標之探討：以網路書店為例

Abstract

近年來，虛擬社群(virtual communities)的概念興起；且無論是學術性的探究或是產業上的運用，多呈正面態度。認為人們在網路交往中，由於它的匿名性和即時性，讓人更「願意」表現心理的感受，以致許多人也早已透過虛擬社群做為一個表現真實自我的平台。目前許多網路書店雖然少有討論分享的平台，但使用者卻常對其所喜愛的網路書店情有獨鍾。究竟有那些因素形成這種現象，它是否已經形成虛擬社群的形式及作用？也就是說，它是否已在「虛擬」中存在著許多「真實」社會中人與人互動所產生的情感與現象？ 在一波運用虛擬社群的熱潮中，如何能夠真正解釋一個虛擬社群的全貌？目前文獻大部份都是從單一個面向在探討虛擬社群的表現，例如，以忠誠度、信任感等單一指標進行探討，但是，面對虛擬社群多層面的涵義和多元化的發展，我們認為要以不同的角度去探究虛擬社群的形成，並透過一套衡量指標來解釋虛擬社群的多個面向。本文透過虛擬社群形成的意義和發展階段的討論，推導一套衡量指標，供作認定其形成程度的參照。 研究結果提出，利用功能、心理、衍生三個層面檢視虛擬社群，並透過虛擬社群形成的形式與其產生的價值之推論，建立七項指標，分別為：資訊／經驗／情感的交流、一定程度的規範及標準、社會身份、資訊社會、社群認同、信任感、歸屬感、一致的偏好，群體的意識行為。透過指標的檢測，能反應虛擬社群存在的程度所代表之意涵，供產、學界對虛擬社群存在意涵的運用。

The concept of virtual community has been emerged in recent years, and it always shows a positive attitude no matter in the academic research or industrial application aspects. It was believed that due to the anonymous and real-time features of internet contact, people are more ”willing” to present their mental feeling, hence numerous people already have a platform to present their real-self via virtual community. Though many online bookstores lack the platform for sharing ideas and discussion, users still love to stick to their favorite online bookstores. Actually, what kinds of factors caused this phenomenon? Does it relate to the cause of the formation of a virtual community and activate it? In other words, is it true that ”virtual” has already covered a huge amount of feelings and phenomena that generated by interactive relationship of people in reality? How can we explain the complete picture of a virtual community under the popular application of virtual community? Most current studies explore the performance of virtual community from single aspect, such as exploring from single indicator like loyalty or trust. However, while facing the diversified development and many-sided implications of virtual community, we believe that we should explore the formation of virtual community from different aspects, and explain various aspects of virtual community via a set of judgment indicators. This study has proposed a set of indicators via discussion of the meaning of virtual community’s formation and its development stages, for the reference of the level of their formation. The research result suggests inspecting a virtual community from three aspects including functional, mental and derivational aspects. In addition, to establish seven indicators via deduction of the formation formats of virtual community and the value it generates, including communication of information, experience and feeling, certain regulations and standards, social status, identification of the community, trust, belongings, concerted preferences, and group consciousness and behavior. It can reflect the meaning of the existing level of virtual community, and at the same time enable the industrial and academic people to make use of the existing meaning of virtual community.