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Why people use social media: An investigation of engagement on an all-service platform

Author: Bauer, Steven,Tian, Fang
Publisher: Abingdon: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
DOI: 10.1080/23311975.2024.2389252
Source: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/326476/1/10.1080_23311975.2024.2389252.pdf
Baue , S e en; Tian, Fang
A icle
Why people use social media: An in es iga ion o
engagemen on an all-se ice pla o m
Cogen Business & Managemen
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Taylo & F ancis G oup
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Baue , S e en; Tian, Fang (2024) : Why people use social media: An in es iga ion
o engagemen on an all-se ice pla o m, Cogen Business & Managemen , ISSN 2331-1975, Taylo
& F ancis, Abingdon, Vol. 11, Iss. 1, pp. 1-16,
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Why people use social media: An in es iga ion o
engagemen on an all-se ice pla o m
S e en Baue & Fang Tian
To ci e his a icle: S e en Baue & Fang Tian (2024) Why people use social media: An
in es iga ion o engagemen on an all-se ice pla o m, Cogen Business & Managemen , 11:1,
2389252, DOI: 10.1080/23311975.2024.2389252
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Why people use social media: An in es iga ion o engagemen on
an all-se ice pla o m
s e en Baue and Fang ian
Business adminis a ion Di ision, sea e College, Peppe dine uni e si y, Malibu, Ca, usa
ABSTRACT
his s udy p o ides he i s in es iga ion o he comple e g oup o a iables in he
expanded heo y o uses and g a i ica ions on consume engagemen in an all-se ice
social media pla o m. consume engagemen is measu ed bo h om a psychological
s a e and beha io al pe spec i e, an app oach which is impo an since he an eceden
a iables in uses and g a i ica ions heo y ha e bo h psychological and beha io al
mani es a ions. a su ey is conduc ed in Mainland china on Wecha wi h 805
esponden s. an eceden a iables and consume engagemen a e measu ed using
p e iously alida ed scales. eg ession analyses ind ha he an eceden a iables o
en e ainmen , in eg a ion/social in e ac ion, pe sonal iden i y, in o ma ion,
emune a ion, and empowe men a e signi ican ly associa ed wi h consume
engagemen on Wecha . age and gende ela ionships a e also explo ed in co ela ion
and eg ession analyses, wi h associa ions s onges among males and olde g oups.
he esul s gi e added suppo o he ele ance o he uses and g a i ica ions heo e ical
amewo k.
1. In oduc ion
Uses and g a i ica ions heo y (ka z e al., 1973) p o ides a key unde s anding o why people use social
media. his heo y, as expanded by Mun inga e  al. (2011), helps explain consume engagemen on
social media ia ca ego ies o en e ainmen , in eg a ion/social in e ac ion, pe sonal iden i y, in o ma ion,
emune a ion and empowe men . consume engagemen on social media has been shown o be an
impo an a iable, posi i ely a ec ing he de elopmen o b and equi y (Dessa e  al., 2015; Dwi edi,
2015; san os e al., 2022; schi inski, 2021), well-being (kha i e al., 2021), elec onic wo d-o -mou h (chu
e  al., 2019; Pang e  al., 2024; an & chen, 2019), social suppo (Pang, 2020; Wang e  al., 2019), and
business-consume ela ionship quali y (chen, 2017). i has been de ined as a psychological s a e includ-
ing h ee dimensions (schau eli e  al., 2002): (1) igo – a dimension deno ing high le els o ene gy and
men al esilience, (2) abso p ion – a dimension deno ing a sense o concen a ion and in ol emen in
in e ac ions, and (3) dedica ion – a dimension e e ing o a sense o en husiasm and inspi a ion. in
addi ion, consume engagemen has been concep ualized beha io ally in e ms o h ee le els o in e -
ac i i y and in ol emen on social media – b and consump ion, con ibu ion and c ea ion (Mun inga
e  al., 2011).
al hough he expanded uses and g a i ica ions heo y has been es ed on selec U.s. social media
pla o ms like Facebook, ins ag am, eddi and You ube (Buze a e al., 2020), he en i e heo e ical ame-
wo k has ne e been e alua ed on an all-se ice pla o m, such as Wecha . Mo eo e , s udies on all ypes
o pla o ms ha e been implemen ed ei he wi h a psychological s a e (chu e  al., 2019) o beha io al
(Buze a e  al., 2020; chen, 2017) measu emen o he consume engagemen a iable, bu no wi h
bo h ypes.
a es o he expanded uses and g a i ica ions heo y on an all-se ice pla o m would p o ide addi-
ional suppo o he ele ance o he heo e ical amewo k. his examina ion is pa icula ly impo an
© 2024 he au ho (s). Published by in o ma uK Limi ed, ading as aylo & F ancis g oup.
CONTACT s e en Baue s e [email p o ec ed] Business adminis a ion Di ision, sea e College, Peppe dine uni e si y, 24255
Paci ic Coas Highway, Malibu, Ca, 90263, usa
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/23311975.2024.2389252
his is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons a ibu ion License (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/), which
pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. he e ms on which his a icle has been
published allow he pos ing o he accep ed Manusc ip in a eposi o y by he au ho (s) o wi h hei consen .
ARTICLE HISTORY
ecei ed 25 no embe
2023
e ised 15 July 2024
accep ed 1 augus 2024
KEYWORDS
social media ma ke ing;
consume beha io ;
consume psychology;
cus ome expe ience;
cus ome insigh ;
ma ke ing communica ion
SUBJECTS
communica ion heo y;
Mass communica ion;
consume Psychology
2 s. BaUe anD F. ian
because Buze a e  al. (2020) ound he a iables added in he expansion – emune a ion and empowe -
men – o be he mos impo an d i e s o consume engagemen . al hough chu e  al. (2019) demon-
s a ed he impo ance o sel -enhancemen and chen (2017) o en e ainmen on consume engagemen
in he all-se ice pla o m o Wecha , hei es s did no include he emune a ion and empowe men
a iables. a measu emen app oach based on psychological s a e and beha io al pe spec i es would also
p o ide an imp o ed es o uses and g a i ica ions heo y, since he heo y’s cons uc s ha e bo h psy-
chological and beha io al mani es a ions. in addi ion, implemen ing a s udy which es ed consume
engagemen om bo h o hese pe spec i es would enable a mo e igo ous e alua ion o he a iable.
Ou s udy u he de elops uses and g a i ica ions heo y by es ing i s expanded e sion on an all-se ice
social media pla o m, Wecha . We examine he in luences o he comple e g oup o a iables embodied in
he expanded heo y, i.e., en e ainmen , in eg a ion/social in e ac ion, pe sonal iden i y, in o ma ion, emu-
ne a ion, and empowe men . in addi ion, we e alua e a iables bo h om psychological s a e and beha -
io al pe spec i es. We begin by desc ibing uses and g a i ica ions heo y and hen mo e o a sec ion on
hypo hesis de elopmen wi h accompanying li e a u e suppo . hen we desc ibe he me hodology and
de ail he esul s o ou s udy. Finally, we p esen a summa y o key conclusions, implica ions o heo y,
p ac ical implica ions, limi a ions, and sugges ions o u u e esea ch.
2. Uses and g a i ica ions heo y
a heo e ical app oach which helps explain in e nal an eceden s o consume engagemen on social
media is uses and g a i ica ions heo y (ka z e  al., 1973). he heo y a gues ha people a e in con ol
o he media hey use, a he han he media o e powe ing hem. i p esen s a g ouping o needs which
explains why di e en media a e chosen by indi iduals. O iginally, i e ypes o needs we e ou lined: (1)
needs s eng hening in o ma ion, knowledge, and unde s anding; (2) needs building aes he ic, pleasu -
able and emo ional expe ience; (3) needs s eng hening c edibili y, con idence, s abili y, and s a us; (4)
needs building con ac wi h amily, iends, and he wo ld; and (5) needs ela ed o escape o
ension- elease. hese needs a e based on u ili a ian, hedonic, psychological and social p edisposi ions.
McQuail (1983) la e summa ized hese ca ego ies as en e ainmen , in eg a ion/social in e ac ion, pe -
sonal iden i y, and in o ma ion, wi h Mun inga e al. (2011) adding he emune a ion and empowe men
ca ego ies due o hei ele ance o social media. Unde emune a ion, people use social media o gain
some ype o u u e ewa d, such as an economic incen i e. empowe men in ol es indi iduals engaging
in social media o exe in luence on o he people o companies. sai and Men (2013) used his
six-dimension se in hei esea ch on consume engagemen in social media, as did Buze a e  al. (2020)
in hei s udy on consume engagemen wi h U.s.-based social media pla o ms.
Pe Buze a e  al. (2020, p. 81), he six ca ego ies may be de ined as ollows: (1) en e ainmen – “ he
emo ional elie gene a ed by empo a ily ec ea ing o ecessing om daily ou ines,” (2) in eg a ion/
social in e ac ion – “ he use s’ eeling o connec ion ( o an online communi y, o ins ance) ha enables
hem o inc ease hei knowledge abou o he people’s ci cums ances and augmen indi iduals’ socializ-
ing capabili ies,” (3) Pe sonal iden i y – “ he need o shaping one’s iden i y by p o iding an image o
one’s pe sonali y and by ecei ing pee ecogni ion,” (4) in o ma ion – “indi iduals’ unde s anding o el-
e an e en s and condi ions in he wo ld a ound,” (5) emune a ion – “Use s’ in en ion o ob ain some
u u e bene i o ex e nal ewa d ha basically s ands apa om he beha io ,”, and (6) empowe men –
“indi iduals’ pu pose o exe ing hei in luence o powe on o he s’ pe cep ions (e.g., consume , compa-
nies, b ands), by oicing hei opinions and by demanding imp o emen s in p oduc s, se ices, and
co po a e policies.” all o hese ca ego ies in ol e psychological p ocesses which lead o di e en ypes
o beha io s on social media.
3. Hypo heses de elopmen
in ou s udy, we seek o iden i y he key an eceden s o consume engagemen on an all-se ice pla -
o m, ep esen ed by Wecha , using he six- olded ca ego ies based on uses and g a i ica ion heo y.
engagemen is de ined bo h om a psychological s a e and beha io al pe spec i e. he psychological
s a e de ini ion uses he igo -abso p ion-dedica ion amewo k o iginally de eloped by schau eli e  al.
cOgen BUsiness & ManageMen 3
(2002), and he beha io al de ini ion he b and consump ion-con ibu ion-c ea ion model o iginally p o-
posed by Mun inga e al. (2011). as he cons uc s o uses and g a i ica ions heo y include psychological
and beha io al mani es a ions, ou hypo heses a e amed ac oss bo h ypes o de ini ions.
We belie e ha he en e ainmen dimension o uses and g a i ica ions heo y is an impo an an eced-
en o engagemen on Wecha , since people a e looking o he pla o m o emo ional elie and plea-
su e. chen (2017) ound en e ainmen alue o be signi ican ly ela ed o Wecha engagemen , as de ined
by “s ickiness”, o he deg ee o b and consump ion and con ibu ion. in addi ion, hedonic alue was
shown o be ela ed o he a iables o liking beha io (gan, 2017), sha e in en ion (Ma e  al., 2018) and
con inuance in en ion (ash a e  al., 2019; Zhang e  al., 2017) on Wecha . Boyd (2008) also demons a ed
he ele ance o en e ainmen on engagemen on Myspace. Ou i s hypo hesis is hus as ollows:
H1: en e ainmen is posi i ely ela ed o engagemen on Wecha , measu ed as a psychological s a e o
igo -abso p ion-dedica ion and beha io ally as b and consump ion-con ibu ion-c ea ion.
Based on esea ch by chu e  al. (2019), pe sonal iden i y is also an an eceden o Wecha engage-
men . hey ound ha he need o sel -enhancemen was signi ican ly associa ed wi h engagemen on
he pla o m, as measu ed by he igo -abso p ion-dedica ion psychological s a e amewo k. in addi ion,
Osei-F impong e  al. (2022) highligh ed he impo ance o sel -s a us seeking on engagemen on
Facebook. Boyd (2008) also demons a ed he ele ance o en e ainmen on engagemen on Myspace.
hese esul s a e in line wi h ou belie ha people look o Wecha o s eng hen hei con idence and
s a us, as de ined in he pe sonal iden i y dimension o uses and g a i ica ions heo y. he e o e, ou
second hypo hesis is as ollows:
H2: Pe sonal iden i y is posi i ely ela ed o engagemen on Wecha , measu ed as a psychological s a e o
igo -abso p ion-dedica ion and beha io ally as b and consump ion-con ibu ion-c ea ion.
he emune a ion and empowe men dimensions o uses and g a i ica ions heo y ha e no been
es ed as an eceden a iables by Wecha esea che s. howe e , Buze a e  al. (2020) showed ha hese
dimensions we e he mos c i ical d i e s o engagemen as de ined by he b and
consump ion-con ibu ion-c ea ion model, wo king wi h ou di e en social media pla o ms – Facebook,
ins ag am, eddi and You ube. We eel ha indi iduals use Wecha o ecei e emune a ion ia eco-
nomic incen i es and o achie e empowe men h ough in luence o e consume s, companies and
b ands, pe he expanded uses and g a i ica ions heo y. Ou hi d and ou h hypo heses a e hus as
ollows:
H3: emune a ion is posi i ely ela ed o engagemen on Wecha , measu ed as a psychological s a e o
igo -abso p ion-dedica ion and beha io ally as b and consump ion-con ibu ion-c ea ion.
H4: empowe men is posi i ely ela ed o engagemen on Wecha , measu ed as a psychological s a e o
igo -abso p ion-dedica ion and beha io ally as b and consump ion-con ibu ion-c ea ion.
We a e no hypo hesizing ha he uses and g a i ica ions heo y dimension o in eg a ion/social in e -
ac ion will be signi ican as an an eceden a iable in ou esea ch. chu e  al. (2019) did no ind he
ela ed dimension o sense o belonging o be signi ican ly associa ed wi h engagemen on Wecha .
hey sugges ed ha ela ionship needs we e no a c i ical mo i e o Wecha use, wi h a mo e impo an
ac o being he desi e o showcase li es yle and achie emen s (embodied in he dimension o pe sonal
iden i y). We a e also no hypo hesizing ha he uses and g a i ica ions heo y dimension o in o ma ion
will yield signi ican esul s as an an eceden a iable. chen (2017) did no ind use ulness, a dimension
ela ed o in o ma ion, o be signi ican , explaining ha use ulness was pe cei ed mo e as a s anda d
unc ion han an added alue o Wecha .
4. Me hodology
We implemen ed a su ey on Wecha , an ideal ep esen a i e o an all-se ice pla o m, in Mainland
china in he Manda in language in Oc obe 2021. Wecha , wi h 1.3 billion use s wo ldwide (Dixon, 2023)
o e s consume s a highly con enien ool o o ganize hei li es and sa is y all hei pe sonal needs in
one place. consume s can use Wecha o social pu poses, ex ing, paymen , and o he speci ic uses,

4 s. BaUe anD F. ian
such as hailing ides o booking ligh s. he pla o m ea u es Wecha Momen s, o iendship ci cles,
which has been shown o ha e posi i e social e ec s (Duan e  al., 2020; Pang, 2019; Zhao e  al., 2018).
i also has a paymen mechanism, Wecha Pay, which has become a bene icial ea u e (g ei enhagen
e al., 2023; Ma emba e al., 2018). Wecha Momen s and Wecha Pay oge he ha e enabled social com-
me ce on he pla o m (chen e  al., 2019; Yang e  al., 2016).
he su ey was conduc ed h ough encen su ey, an online ques ionnai e pla o m de eloped by
encen . We selec ed his su ey pla o m because, i s , i is one o he mos widely used pla o ms in
china; encen su ey has collec ed 3.3 billion ques ionnai es o 44.996 million use s. second, encen
su ey could be e assis us o ec ui mo e esponden s om ou a ge g oup, Wecha use s, as
Wecha is a encen p oduc . hi d, Wecha Pay (one o china’s wo online paymen me hods and
ano he encen p oduc ) could easily be used o paying each esponden 15 MB ( oughly $2.25) o
pa icipa ion. e hical app o al o ou s udy was ecei ed om he Peppe dine Uni e si y ins i u ional
e iew Boa d unde p o ocol 21-06-1614, and he s udy adhe es o he Decla a ion o helsinki. in addi-
ion, w i en in o med consen was ob ained om pa icipan s.
Ou su ey collec ed da a om 805 indi iduals who we e 20 yea s o age o olde and used Wecha
on a daily basis, wi h he sample 41.12% male and 58.88% emale. age composi ion was 82.24% 20-29,
13.04% 30-39, 3.73% 40-49, and 0.99% 50+. all demog aphic and Wecha use s a is ics, including gende ,
age, indi idual income, educa ion, place o esidence, when s a ed using Wecha , and how o en use
Wecha on an a e age day, a e summa ized in able 1.
Table 1. Demog aphics and WeCha usage o su ey sample.
n %
gende
Male 331 41.12%
Female 474 58.88%
age
20-29 662 82.24%
30-39 105 13.04%
40-49 30 3.73%
50+ 8 0.99%
indi idual income
Less han 36,000 RMB 384 47.70%
36,000-143,999 RMB 310 38.51%
144,000-299,999 RMB 73 9.07%
300,000-419,999 RMB 25 3.11%
420,000-659,999 RMB 7 0.87%
660,000 o g ea e RMB 6 0.75%
educa ion
Middle school o less 37 4.60%
High school 95 11.80%
wo-yea college 253 31.43%
uni e si y 381 47.33%
g adua e school 39 4.84%
Place o Residence
shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang 107 13.29%
Beijing- ianjin 93 11.55%
guangdong 129 16.02%
o he p o inces 476 59.13%
Place o Residence
no heas China 50 6.21%
eas China 277 34.41%
Cen al China 134 16.65%
no h China 104 12.92%
sou h China 150 18.63%
no hwes China 24 2.98%
sou hwes China 66 8.20%
When s a ed using WeCha
2014 o ea lie 213 26.46%
2015-2017 445 55.28%
2018 o La e 147 18.26%
How o en isi WeCha on a e age day
Less han 2 hou s a day 222 27.58%
2 o 4 hou s a day 113 14.04%
Mo e han 4 hou s a day 470 58.39%
cOgen BUsiness & ManageMen 5
he six an eceden a iables o en e ainmen , in eg a ion/social in e ac ion, pe sonal iden i y, in o -
ma ion, emune a ion and empowe men we e measu ed wi h an 18-i em like scale used by Buze a
e  al. (2020). his scale p o ides a alida ed ool o measu ing he cons uc s included in he expanded
e sion o uses and g a i ica ions heo y (Mun inga e  al., 2011). Ques ions we e adap ed o app op i-
a eness on he Wecha pla o m. in addi ion, we used scales alida ed in wo di e en s udies o es
consume engagemen om a psychological s a e and beha io al pe spec i e. he igo -abso p ion-ded-
ica ion psychological s a e measu e o engagemen was es ed using a 9-i em like scale de eloped o
he Wecha pla o m by chu e al. (2019). he b and consump ion-con ibu ion-c ea ion beha io al mea-
su e o engagemen was based on a 17-i em like scale used by Buze a e al. (2020), bu educed down
o 10 like i ems adap ed o app op ia eness on Wecha . adminis a ion o he scales measu ing
an eceden a iables (aV), psychological s a e engagemen (Pse) and beha io al engagemen (Be) was
o a ed o a oid o de bias, o a o al o six di e en scale o a ions: (1) aV/Pse/Be, (2) aV/Be/Pse, (3)
Pse/aV/Be, (4) Pse/Be/aV, (5) Be/Pse/aV, and (6) Be/aV/Pse. in addi ion, demog aphic and/o Wecha use
ques ions sepa a ed he adminis a ion o each scale in he su ey in o de o diminish common me hod
bias (Podsako e  al., 2012).
able 2 summa izes ques ions, as well as hei means (M) and s anda d de ia ions (sD). hese
ques ions es ed six an eceden a iables, h ee psychological s a e engagemen a iables, and
h ee beha io al engagemen a iables. each a iable was composed o a se ies o mul iple
like - ype i ems which ep esen ed simila ques ions. he a e age o he esponses o hese like
Table 2. su ey ques ions.
ype Va iable Ques ion M sD
an eceden Ques ions en e ainmen i use WeCha because i is
en e aining. (Q1)
3.18 1.08
i use WeCha because i elaxes
me. (Q2)
3.42 1.02
i use WeCha because i is un.
(Q3)
3.45 1.01
in eg a ion/ social in e ac ion i can in e ac wi h people like
mysel on WeCha . (Q4)
4.10 0.83
i use WeCha o belong o a
g oup wi h he same in e es s
as mine. (Q5)
3.91 0.88
i ha e made in e pe sonal
connec ions o o he people
on WeCha . (Q6)
4.11 0.76
Pe sonal iden i y on WeCha , i can p esen o
o he s who i am. (Q7)
3.72 0.86
i y o adjus my commen s on
WeCha o imp o e my
epu a ion among o he
WeCha use s. (Q8)
3.25 1.00
WeCha allows me o exp ess my
opinions. (Q9)
3.87 0.78
in o ma ion WeCha gi es me some hing o
alk abou wi h my iends.
(Q10)
3.98 0.84
i use WeCha o keep up wi h
wha ’s going on. (Q11)
3.93 0.85
i use WeCha o emembe
some hing impo an . (Q12)
3.85 0.90
Remune a ion i use WeCha o ge a discoun .
(Q13)
3.43 0.99
i use WeCha o ge he ed
en elopes. (Q14)
4.06 0.87
i use WeCha o access o he
inancial bene i s. (Q15)
3.60 0.98
empowe men on WeCha , i wan o gi e
sugges ions o o he use s.
(Q16)
3.43 0.95
on WeCha , i wan o in luence
o he people. (Q17)
3.22 1.01
on WeCha , i wan o in luence
companies and o ganiza ions.
(Q18)
3.14 1.04
(Con inued)
6 s. BaUe anD F. ian
i ems was used o cons uc he espec i e a iable. his ype o cons uc allowed he applica ion
o he cen al limi heo em, which suppo s he pa ame ic analysis in he s udy. he assump ion
can be e i ied by he his og ams o he linea eg ession esiduals discussed in sec ion 5.2 (see
Figu e 1).
o es he in e nal consis ency eliabili y o each a iable, we calcula ed bo h c onbach’s alpha (α)
and McDonald’s omega (ω). all alphas and omegas a e a leas 74%, indica ing s ong in e nal consis-
ency o each a iable (see able 3).
hese scales we e u he alida ed h ough con e gen and disc iminan alidi y analyses, which
can be obse ed om he ac o loading ma ix exhibi ed in able 4. s ong co ela ions be ween
ques ions o he same a iable showed con e gen alidi y (see bold numbe s in able 4). Fo dis-
c iminan alidi y, weak co ela ions we e ound be ween ques ions o di e en a iables; in able 4,
mos o hose numbe s we e omi ed because hey we e insigni ican . addi ionally o con e gen
alidi y, we calcula ed a e age a iance ex ac ed (aVe) and composi e eliabili y (c ). al hough o a
ew ( i e ou o wel e) a iables, aVe was a bi less han 0.5, all c s we e close o o abo e 0.7 (see
able 4). acco ding o lam (2012), he con e gen alidi y o hese a iables is conside ed o be
adequa e.
ype Va iable Ques ion M sD
Psychological s a e Ques ions Vigo i can con inue using WeCha o
a e y long pe iod a a ime.
(Q22)
3.57 1.01
i eel igo ous when i am using
WeCha . (Q23)
3.41 0.91
i de o e a lo o ene gy o
WeCha . (Q24)
3.42 1.00
abso p ion i am a ely dis ac ed when
using WeCha . (Q25)
3.22 0.97
My mind is ocused when using
WeCha . (Q26)
3.29 0.98
i pay a lo o a en ion o
WeCha . (Q27)
3.28 1.01
Dedica ion i am en husias ic in using
WeCha . (Q28)
3.62 0.95
i ound WeCha ull o meaning
and pu pose. (Q29)
3.75 0.87
i am in e es ed in using WeCha .
(Q30)
3.78 0.84
Beha io al Ques ions Consump ion i ead (p oduc /se ice)
b and- ela ed pos s and/o
wa ch ideos c ea ed by he
company on WeCha . (Q35)
3.68 0.89
i ead (p oduc /se ice)
b and- ela ed a icles and/o
wa ch ideos c ea ed by
in luence s on WeCha . (Q36)
3.58 0.92
i ead (p oduc /se ice)
b and- ela ed in o ma ion
and/o wa ch ideos c ea ed
by my con ac s on WeCha .
(Q37)
3.58 0.92
Con ibu ion i ollow b ands on WeCha . (Q38) 3.64 0.95
i ollow b and- ela ed in luence s
on WeCha . (Q39)
3.29 1.07
i “like” b and- ela ed pos s and/o
ideos on WeCha . (Q40)
3.41 1.00
i commen on b and- ela ed
pos s and/o ideos on
WeCha . (Q41)
3.32 1.03
i sha e b and- ela ed pos s and/
o ideos on WeCha . (Q42)
3.20 1.04
C ea ion i ini ia e b and- ela ed pos s
and/o ideos on WeCha .
(Q43)
3.22 1.08
i w i e b and- ela ed e iews on
WeCha abou p oduc s i y
o use. (Q44)
3.44 1.01
Table 2. Con inued.
cOgen BUsiness & ManageMen 7
5. Resul s
5.1. Co ela ional analyses
We use wo nonpa ame ic s a is ical echniques o measu e he ela ionship be ween o dinal a iables:
he spea man ank-o de co ela ion and kendall’s au-b co ela ion. able 5 shows spea man’s ρ and
kendall’s τ be ween he an eceden a iables and he psychological s a e and beha io al engagemen
a iables. co ela ions a e posi i e o all pai s a a .32 le el o abo e.
Figu e 1. Residual his og ams.
Table 3. in e nal consis ency (α and ω) and con e gen alidi y (aVe and CR).
Va iable α ω aVe CR
en e ainmen 0.85 0.85 0.649 0.847
in eg a ion/ social in e ac ion 0.81 0.81 0.522 0.763
Pe sonal iden i y 0.75 0.75 0.472 0.699
in o ma ion 0.74 0.74 0.479 0.711
Remune a ion 0.74 0.75 0.551 0.784
empowe men 0.83 0.84 0.632 0.825
Vigo 0.79 0.79 0.471 0.693
abso p ion 0.87 0.87 0.572 0.779
Dedica ion 0.84 0.85 0.609 0.818
Consump ion 0.80 0.81 0.496 0.724
Con ibu ion 0.88 0.90 0.433 0.753
C ea ion 0.79 0.79 0.594 0.810
14 s. BaUe anD F. ian
b and cu ious, and p ospec b and an – based on cogni i e pa e ns which s imula e social media
engagemen . i would be aluable o cha he ela ionship be ween hese a iables and he an eceden s
in es iga ed in ou esea ch. O he lines o inqui y would be o e alua e he associa ion be ween ou
d i e s and online shopping (nayak e al., 2022) as well as he b oade a eas o echnology usage (kibu u
e  al., 2023) and concep es o a ion (li e  al., 2023).
Acknowledgmen s
he au ho s a e deeply g a e ul o Ms. saie Ma, a B.s. g adua e in Business adminis a ion o sea e college,
Peppe dine Uni e si y, in sp ing 2022, o he suppo in da a collec ion and li e a u e e iew; o M . Ma c Vinya d,
associa e Uni e si y lib a ian o g adua e s udies, Peppe dine Uni e si y, o his assis ance in jou nal selec ion; and
o D s. alice labban and obe shea e , Business adminis a ion Di ision, sea e college, Peppe dine Uni e si y o
hei guidance h oughou he s udy.
Au ho con ibu ions s a emen
s e en Baue and Fang ian we e bo h in ol ed in he concep ion and design o he wo k; he acquisi ion, analysis
and in e p e a ion o he da a; he d a ing o he pape and e iewing i c i ically o impo an in ellec ual con en ;
and he inal app o al o he e sion o be published; and hey ag ee o be accoun able o all aspec s o he wo k
in ensu ing ha ques ions ela ed o he accu acy o in eg i y o any pa o he wo k a e app op ia ely in es iga ed
and esol ed.
Disclosu e s a emen
no po en ial con lic o in e es was epo ed by he au ho s.
Funding
he au ho s ecei ed no unding o his esea ch.
Abou he au ho s
S e en Baue is assis an ins uc o o eaching o Ma ke ing in he Business adminis a ion Di ision, sea e college,
Peppe dine Uni e si y, 24255 Paci ic coas highway, Malibu, ca 90263, Usa. email: s e en.baue @peppe dine.edu.
Fang Tian is associa e P o esso o Decision science in he Business adminis a ion Di ision a sea e college,
Peppe dine Uni e si y, 24255 Paci ic coas highway, Malibu, ca 90263.
ORCID
s e en Baue h p://o cid.o g/0000-0001-7097-7528
Da a a ailabili y s a emen
he da a ha suppo he indings o his s udy a e a ailable om he co esponding au ho , s e en Baue , upon
easonable eques .
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