Exploring the Impact of Social Media Usage Frequency, Prior Knowledge, and Online Social Capital on Opportunity Recognition

Opportunity recognition is a key entrepreneurship research focal point, but has not been thoroughly investigated with respect to digital entrepreneurship. This research studies the impact of prior knowledge, online social capital, and frequency of social media usage on digital opportunity recognition in developed and emerging economies. It also examines hedonic value as a predictor of social media usage frequency. Data from 177 United States and 87 Kazakhstan digital entrepreneurs were analyzed using PLS-SEM. Social media usage frequency did not predict opportunity recognition in either country; however, online social capital partially mediated the social media usage frequency and opportunity recognition relationship in both economies. Prior knowledge significantly impacted opportunity recognition only in the United States. A positive correlation between hedonic value and frequency of social media usage was found in both countries. The study findings provide useful insights for both scholars and practitioners. Limitations and future research avenues are provided.