Playing Ant Forest to promote online green behavior: A new perspective on uses and gratifications

Lingyun Mi; Ting Xu; Yuhuan Sun; Jingjing Zhao; Tao Lv; Xiaoli Gan; Ke Shang; Lijie Qiao

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111544

Playing Ant Forest to promote online green behavior: A new perspective on uses and gratifications

J Environ Manage. 2021 Jan 15;278(Pt 2):111544. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111544. Epub 2020 Oct 28.

Authors

Lingyun Mi¹, Ting Xu², Yuhuan Sun³, Jingjing Zhao⁴, Tao Lv⁵, Xiaoli Gan⁶, Ke Shang⁷, Lijie Qiao⁸

Affiliations

¹ School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, China. Electronic address: milingyun@cumt.edu.cn.
² School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, China. Electronic address: xuting@cumt.edu.cn.
³ School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, China. Electronic address: sunyuhuan@cumt.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, China. Electronic address: zjj1981625@cumt.edu.cn.
⁵ School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, China. Electronic address: taocumt@cumt.edu.cn.
⁶ School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, China. Electronic address: TS18070157A3TM1@cumt.edu.cn.
⁷ School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology. Address: University Road No.1, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221116, China. Electronic address: Shangke@cumt.edu.cn.
⁸ School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, China. Electronic address: qiaolijie@cumt.edu.cn.

PMID: 33129025
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111544

Abstract

The popularity of Internet technology has resulted in people's lives being increasingly embedded in this network. The rise in usage of environmental protection apps has become a powerful tool in driving offline environmental protection activities and green lifestyles. However, little is known about the public's online green behavior. To fill this gap, we took Ant Forest, the most influential online environmental protection project in China, as a case study to explore the driving psychology of Ant Forest users' continuous use behaviors (CUBs) by expanding the use and gratifications theory. The proposed hypotheses were tested using a structural equation model based on data from 951 Ant Forest users. The results showed that users' gratification is an important psychological motivation that encourages CUBs in Ant Forest, and the different dimensions of gratification have significant differences in the driving intensity of the three types of CUBs. Moreover, emotional dependence moderates the relationships between gratifications and CUBs. Finally, from the perspective of cultivating gratification, this study suggests promoting the continuous use of Ant Forest as it provides a reference for understanding and developing online green behavior.

Keywords: Ant forest; Continuous use behavior; Online green behavior; Structural equation model; Sustainable development; Use and gratifications.

MeSH terms

Animals
Ants*
China
Conservation of Natural Resources
Forests
Humans
Pleasure