The opinions and behaviours of others are recognised as powerful mechanisms for social influence in the digital sphere. The former, often referred to as electronic word of mouth (eWOM), is a thoroughly researched topic in the Information Systems literature. Conversely, the digital display of users' behaviours (e.g., number of past purchases) is less well understood despite the widespread adoption of this practice on digital platforms. Quantitative research has explored this interesting domain and found that observing others' behaviours entice observers to follow suit, but has left unaddressed the question of what sensemaking users derive from behavioural information. This is problematic as behavioural information is more open to interpretation compared to eWOM. In this article, we adopt the concept of electronic word of behaviour (eWOB) to denote such behavioural information. Through the lens of basic psychological needs theory and the qualitative means-end chain approach, we expose how eWOB is interpreted and used by users of a digital platform, the music service Spotify. We find that eWOB leads to satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for relatedness and competence when observing others' behaviours. We also show how exposure to one's own past behaviours can yield a positive sense of self when presented in meaningful and private manners, but that it can also negatively impact users when their needs for autonomy and competence are not heeded by the digital platform. Finally, based on our empirical findings we offer a set of design implications for how digital platforms can optimise the use of eWOB.

中文翻译：

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超越流行度：用户对数字平台中可观察行为的看法

他人的意见和行为被认为是数字领域社会影响力的强大机制。前者，通常称为电子口碑 (eWOM)，是信息系统文献中经过深入研究的主题。相反，尽管在数字平台上广泛采用了这种做法，但用户行为（例如，过去购买的次数）的数字显示却鲜为人知。定量研究探索了这个有趣的领域，发现观察他人的行为会吸引观察者效仿，但没有解决用户从行为信息中获得什么意义的问题。这是有问题的，因为与 eWOM 相比，行为信息更易于解释。在本文中，我们采用电子行为词（eWOB）的概念来表示这种行为信息。通过基本心理需求理论的镜头和定性的手段-末端链方法，我们揭示了 eWOB 如何被数字平台、音乐服务 Spotify 的用户解释和使用。我们发现，在观察他人的行为时，eWOB 可以满足对相关性和能力的基本心理需求。我们还展示了当以有意义和私密的方式呈现时，暴露于自己过去的行为如何产生积极的自我意识，但当数字平台没有注意到用户对自主权和能力的需求时，它也会对用户产生负面影响。最后，根据我们的实证结果，我们为数字平台如何优化 eWOB 的使用提供了一系列设计启示。