More Can Be Less: The Economics of Answer Viewing on Paid Q&A Platforms

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Gao, Yi; Mehra, Amit; Liu, Dengpan
• 署名单位: Texas Tech University System; Texas Tech University; University of Texas Dallas; University of Texas System; University of Texas Dallas; Tsinghua University
• 刊物名称: INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1047-7047; 1526-5536
• DOI: 10.1287/isre.2022.0641
• 发表日期: 2026-04-03
• 关键词: paid Q&A platform; answer viewing; platform pricing; knowledge products; empirical-analysis; GOODS; COMPETITION; revenue; IMPACT

摘要

Paid Q&A platforms monetize knowledge by charging a commission on the consulting fees set by experts who provide personalized answers to users' questions. Additionally, some platforms capitalize on knowledge further by offering an answer-viewing feature, which allows users to pay for access to answers to questions previously posed by others. This feature provides a more affordable alternative for users seeking information, potentially expanding the platform's market by attracting those unwilling to pay higher prices for personalized responses. However, the introduction of this feature raises concerns about the potential for cannibalization, because some users who would otherwise opt for personalized answers may switch to the lower-cost viewing option. In this paper, we develop a game-theoretic model to explore whether and how the answer-viewing feature benefits key stakeholders, namely the Q&A platform, answerers, and users. Our findings suggest that, although the platform can sometimes benefit from this feature, this is not guaranteed due to the risk of cannibalization. Furthermore, even when the platform benefits, answerers and users do not always experience similar gains. Another key finding is that, although the answer-viewing feature introduces direct competition between answerers and the platform, answerers may still be able to increase their consulting fees. These insights have significant implications for Q&A platforms, answerers, and regulators, underscoring the complexities and potential tradeoffs involved in adopting the answer-viewing feature.