Does ChatGPT affect users’ continuous knowledge contributions in online Q&A communities?

This study aims to investigate the impact of ChatGPT on users’ continuous knowledge contributions in online question-and-answer (Q&A) communities based on social exchange theory and stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory.

Data were collected from a Chinese online Q&A community, and the difference-in-differences (DID) model was employed to verify the proposed hypotheses.

The results show that ChatGPT negatively impacts users’ continuous knowledge contributions in online Q&A communities, with variations observed across different knowledge domains.

This study is the first attempt to examine the impact of ChatGPT on users’ continuous knowledge contributions in online Q&A communities. The findings provide valuable insights for community managers to develop strategies for mitigating the effects of ChatGPT on online Q&A communities.