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With a little help from my friends: Self‐interested and prosocial behavior on MySpace Music

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  • Judd Antin
  • Matthew Earp

Abstract

In this article, we explore the dynamics of prosocial and self‐interested behavior among musicians on MySpace Music. MySpace Music is an important platform for social interactions and at the same time provides musicians with the opportunity for significant profit. We argue that these forces can be in tension with each other, encouraging musicians to make strategic choices about using MySpace to promote their own or others' rewards. We look for evidence of self‐interested and prosocial “friending” strategies in the social network created by Top Friends links. We find strong evidence that individual preferences for prosocial and self‐interested behavior influence friending strategies. Furthermore, our data illustrate a robust relationship between increased prominence and increased attention to others' rewards. These results shed light on how musicians manage their interactions in complex online environments and extend research on social values by demonstrating consistent preferences for prosocial or self‐interested behavior in a multifaceted online setting.

Suggested Citation

  • Judd Antin & Matthew Earp, 2010. "With a little help from my friends: Self‐interested and prosocial behavior on MySpace Music," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 61(5), pages 952-963, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jamist:v:61:y:2010:i:5:p:952-963
    DOI: 10.1002/asi.21294
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Mike Thelwall, 2008. "Social networks, gender, and friending: An analysis of MySpace member profiles," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 59(8), pages 1321-1330, June.
    7. Ernst Fehr & Urs Fischbacher, "undated". "Why Social Preferences Matter - The Impact of Non-Selfish Motives on Competition," IEW - Working Papers 084, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - University of Zurich.
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexia Gaudeul & Caterina Giannetti, 2011. "The role of reciprocation in social network formation, with an application to blogging," Jena Economics Research Papers 2011-015, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.

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