Not just for the money? An examination of the motives behind physicians’ sharing of paid health information

Online platforms make it possible for physicians to share online information with the public, however, few studies have explored the underlying mechanism of physicians’ sharing of paid health information. Drawing on motivation theory, this study developed a theoretical framework to explore the effects of extrinsic motivation, enjoyment, and professional motivation on the sharing of paid information, as well as the contingent role of income ratio (online to offline) and online reputation. The model was tested with both objective and subjective data, which contain responses from 298 physicians. The results show that extrinsic motivation, enjoyment, and professional motivation play significant roles in inducing physicians to share paid information. Furthermore, income ratio can moderate the effects of motives on paid information sharing. Besides, the effect of professional motivation can be more effective in certain situations (low-level income ratio or high online reputation). This study contributes to the literature on knowledge sharing, online health behaviour, and motivation theory, and provides implications for practitioners.