Assistant Professor Bingjie QIAN from the Advanced Institute of Business at Tongji SEM, as the first author, has published a new study in Information Systems Research, a leading journal in information systems. The paper, titled From Anonymity to Accountability: How Virtual Identity Disclosure Changes the Quantity and Quality of “Likes”, investigates how revealing users’ virtual identities reshapes their liking behavior in online communities.

The research uses a natural experiment based on a platform policy shift that made likers’ usernames visible to others. Findings show that identity disclosure leads users to reduce the number of likes but significantly improves the quality of liked content, as users prioritize protective self-presentation to avoid negative impressions. This challenges the conventional assumption that virtual identity equals anonymity, highlighting that even non-real‑life online identities carry reputational concerns that strongly shape user engagement.

The study offers valuable implications for platform governance and content creation. Identity disclosure policies can help platforms foster higher-quality interactions, while content creators should focus on producing high-quality material that aligns with users’ self‑presentation goals.

Dr. Bingjie QIAN is an Assistant Professor at Tongji SEM. She earned her PhD in Information Systems from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Her research centers on social media, online communities, artificial intelligence, and natural experiments, with work published in top academic outlets including Information Systems Research.