This study examine the motivation of people in online referral system from the perspective of Self-construal theory. This study predicts that the referrer’s level of interdependent self-concept has a negative effect on Monetary and Reciprocity motivation and a positive effect on Altruistic motivation when that person consider a referral program. Social distance and Proportion for responder are predicted to moderate the aforementioned relationships. To test the hypotheses, an online experiment was conducted with 354 participants. The result shows that self-construal has effects on motivation to some extent. Also, a significant moderation effect of Social distance is observed. This study offers important implication for literature of self and identity in information system research as well as practical implication for business when designing an effective referral system.

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