Abstract:

Research of social search behavior is a new field of information search behavior, and the most frequent context for users doing social search is social media. This paper studies users’ information seeking behavior in the context of social media, combining the TAM model with the TTF model and considering users’ trust and ability to search. Then this study conducts a questionnaire and collects 206 valid data. After analyzing these data by SmartPLS, it finds that Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Enjoyment have a significant positive influence on users’ intentions to search; the fit between the search task and the technology characteristics(TTF) also affect users’ search behavior positively. And the trust and search ability have an indirect impact on users’ search behavior by influencing Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use. According to the results, this paper makes some suggestions from the user and platform perspective in order to promote the development of social search.

Key words: Social media, 　Search behavior, 　Social search, 　TAM, 　TTF