Self-ie love: Predictors of image editing intentions on Facebook

Little research has examined image-editing behaviour on social media, yet with images being a key form of online social communication, the importance of such research is evident. The aim of the current study was to examine the factors that influence peoples’ intentions to post digitally altered self-images on the Facebook platform, using an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) model. It was hypothesised that after controlling for age, prior editing application use, and integration of Facebook in a user’s life, the TPB variables (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control [PBC]) would explain a significant proportion of intention to post digitally altered images on Facebook. Furthermore, that the addition of narcissism would explain further variation in intentions, beyond that explained by the control and TPB variables. Participants (N?=?151; M_age?=?25.6 years; 76% female) completed an online survey assessing each of the aforementioned variables. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that each of the hypotheses were supported, with all variables significantly contributing to the prediction of intentions, except PBC and age. This study sheds light on the predictors of image-editing behaviour, and sets the stage for subsequent research examining editing behaviours on Facebook as well as other social media platforms (e.g. Instagram).     

The effects of negative information-related incidents on social media discontinuance intention: Evidence from SEM and fsQCA

Social media have experienced a decline in their number of users. Understanding the antecedents of users’ discontinuance intention can help social media platforms in mitigating them. It is necessary to enrich the theoretical account of social media discontinuance intention from the aspect of negative information-related incidents. With this realization, underpinned by stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework, the current study examined the interrelationships of negative information-related incidents, social media fatigue, perceived information overload, and social media discontinuance intention. The proposed hypotheses were verified by analyzing the responses of 328 Weibo users through structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). According to the SEM results, all negative-related information incidents can explain perceived information overload and social media fatigue, which in turn lead to discontinuance intention. The fsQCA findings also confirmed the significance of discontinuance intention determinants and provided the configurations that enhanced discontinuance intention. These findings can assist social media managers in developing unique strategies to address the specific needs of social media users.     

Facebook addiction and depression: Loneliness as a moderator and poor sleep quality as a mediator

Facebook addiction is considered as one of the potential behavior addictions. Data on Facebook addiction among Facebook users in Vietnam is scarce, although this is a research topic that is increasingly attracting the attention of researchers. This study aims to identify the mediating and moderating effects of poor sleep quality and loneliness in the association between Facebook addiction levels and depression among Vietnamese Facebook users. A cross-sectional study was conducted in October 2020 via an online survey. Participants received an invitation to join the study with a link to the questionnaire via Facebook. A total of 354 Facebook users completed survey about Facebook addiction, sleep quality, loneliness and depression. Results reveal that poor sleep quality partially mediated the association between Facebook addiction and depression (b = 0.117, SE = 0.027, CI = [0.066, 0.172]), and loneliness moderated this relationship (β = 0.023, SE = 0.008, CI = [0.007, 0.039]). This research not only enriches the theory of the association between Facebook addiction and depression, but also a basis for the development of intervention programs to prevent depression for Facebook addictors. Accordingly, the intervention should be paid attention to improving the quality of sleep and reducing loneliness for Facebook users.     

Facebook ads not working in the same way: The effect of cultural orientation and message construals on consumer response to social media ads

The research examined the impacts of psychological distance and message type on social media by cultural orientation. This research assessed social media usage and construal levels on Facebook pages in two cultures (Individualism – the U.S. vs. Collectivism – South Korea). While the U.S. participants had different levels of construals in two Facebook pages (News Feed vs. Timeline), the Korean participants did not. Further, the results demonstrated that for U.S. Facebook users, the different distances from the two Facebook pages impact their evaluation of ad messages framed with different construal terms: In News Feed that U.S. users feel distant from, an ad message framed with high construal terms (vs. low construal terms) was more effective. In Timeline that U.S. users feel proximal to, an ad message focusing on low construal terms (vs. high construal terms) led to more favorable response. However, Korean Facebook users did not exhibit varying psychological distances from those two Facebook pages. Rather, they consistently preferred high-level construal messages regardless of where the ad messages were posted. The importance of this study is the suggestion that cultural orientation and social media usage need to be considered for the development of particular ad messages that engage social media users across the globe.     

A social mapping of Swedish environment-focussed Facebook groups: The principles,methods and implementation of a mapping project

Aiming to contribute to the sparse literature on social mapping methodologies, this article elaborates on the principles, procedures and research design of a social mapping project. It first demonstrates the design and implementation of a mapping project of active Facebook groups in Sweden that focus on the environment, by elaborating on the project’s mapping principles and procedures. The developed mapping methodology integrates a variety of data gathering and analysis methods (survey research, online search, big data analysis, content analysis), applying the principle of triangulation, to ensure the completeness of the mapping. It also combines small-scale and big data analysis, addressing the advantages and limitations of these methods, in the framework of the specific research. In the second part, the article gives the overview of the social map of the 152 identified environment-focussed Facebook groups, connected to Sweden, during 2019–2020, presenting their basic features, networks and environmental focal points. In their majority these groups adopt ecocentric positions towards the environment and openly critique anthropocentrism, often being connected to civil society and activist networks, concerning environmental issues and action. These findings point to the potential of coordinated environmental action, being communicated and mediated through online spaces.     

Benefits of Facebook fan/brand page marketing and its influence on relationship commitment among Generation Y: Empirical evidence from Malaysia

This study aims to understand the influence of relational benefits of Facebook brand/fan page towards relationship commitment among Generation Y. Additionally, this study also investigates the mediating effect of customer satisfaction on the relationship between relational benefits and relationship commitment. A total of 195 sets of online questionnaire were collected using snowball sampling method for the statistical data requirement of SmartPLS. The analysis found significant positive relationships between relational benefits and relationship commitment, however, only on social, functional, and special treatment benefits. Surprisingly, the findings also showed an insignificant mediation effect of customer satisfaction on the relationship between relational benefits and relationship commitment. The research findings are valuable to both the theoretical and businesses adopting social media as a marketing strategy. Marketers employing the Facebook or other social media in catering and reacting to the Generation Y needs will benefit the most; securing their confidence and loyalty towards purchasing a certain brand.     

Gratifications of using Facebook,Twitter, Instagram,or Snapchat to follow brands: The moderating effect of social comparison,trust, tie strength,and network homophily on brand identification,brand engagement,brand commitment,and membership intention

Applying uses and gratifications theory (UGT), this study examined consumers’ use of one of four social networking sites (SNSs): Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat, for following brands, and their influence on brand community-related outcomes. Results (N = 297) indicated Snapchat users scored highest for passing time, sharing problems, and improving social knowledge, while Instagram users scored highest for showing affection, following fashion, and demonstrating sociability. Twitter users had highest brand community identification and membership intention, while Instagram users had highest brand community engagement and commitment. Attention to social comparison, SNS trust, tie strength, and homophily also significantly moderated the relationship between frequent use of each SNS to follow brands, and brand community-related outcomes. Implications for future research on SNS users’ goal-directed consumption behaviors are discussed.     

Starring in your own Snapchat advertisement: Influence of self-brand congruity,self-referencing and perceived humor on brand attitude and purchase intention of advertised brands

Snapchat geofilter advertisements use augmented reality (AR) technology to place consumers in photographs embellished with branded content. This study examined the joint influence of self-brand congruity, self-referencing and perceived humor in these self-endorsed geofilter brand advertisements on consumers’ brand-related preferences. Results revealed that self-brand congruity, self-referencing and perceived humor exerted significant main effects on consumers’ post-use brand attitude and purchase intention. Self-brand congruity also significantly interacted with self-referencing and perceived humor to affect brand attitude and purchase intention, while self-referencing significantly interacted with perceived humor to affect purchase intention, but not brand attitude. Theoretical and managerial implications of the research are discussed.     

Social comparison as a double-edged sword on social media: The role of envy type and online social identity

Several studies have explored the psychological consequences of social comparison in SNS usage. This paper aims to explore the behavioral outcomes of social comparison through the underlying mechanisms of benign and malicious envy on Facebook. The paper also examines the role of online social identity in predicting benign and malicious envy. Based on multi-wave data collected from 469 Facebook users in Pakistan, we found that Facebook user's social comparison provoked benign and malicious envy; benign envy, in turn, triggered self-improvement intention, and malicious envy triggered negative gossiping. Moreover, user's online social identity moderated the social comparison-envy relationship such that the positive relationship of social comparison and benign envy was stronger, and the positive relationship of social comparison and malicious envy was weaker when the user's online social identity was high. The study contributes to social media literature by examining the behavioral outcomes of social comparison on social media and discusses empirical implications for policymakers, advertisers, SNS providers, SNS designers, educators, and users.     

Online identities and social influence in social media gambling exposure: A four-country study on young people

Social media tends to gather users around social cliques consisting of similar-minded individuals and shared identities. These online group processes can have significant influence on user behavior, which is alarming when considering risky behaviors such as gambling. This study examined how online clique involvement predicts young people’s interest in gambling content and following observed group norms on social media. Survey respondents were 15–25-year-olds from Finland (n = 1200), the United States (n = 1212), South Korea (n = 1192) and Spain (n = 1212). A self-reported measure of online clique involvement and a gambling-related social media vignette experiment were utilized. The results show that online clique involvement was related to higher interest in gambling content. Content liked by a majority gathered more interest, indicating conformity to a group norm. This finding was especially true among participants with past involvement in online cliques, and the association was strongest in South Korea. The tendency to participate in online clique behavior creates a potentially risky setting when encountering online gambling content, because it may accentuate the effect of observed group norms. Interacting with gambling content increases the visibility of such content due to algorithmic filtering technologies, which can fuel gambling-related intentions and behaviors, and normalize gambling.     

The effects of social media virality metrics,message framing,and perceived susceptibility on cancer screening intention: The mediating role of fear

Social media platforms are increasingly playing a vital role in the process of dissemination and sharing of health information. The present study investigated whether and how online health information and virality metrics associated with social media platforms jointly shape persuasive outcomes in the context of cancer screening promotion. One important area of research on cancer screening promotion concerns loss-versus-gain message framing, which has highlighted the persuasive advantage of loss framing relative to gain framing. Given this, we examined how social media virality metrics, loss-versus-gain message framing, and perceived susceptibility influence message-evoked fear and intention to perform colonoscopy in the context of colorectal cancer screening. Results from an online experiment showed that loss framing, relative to gain framing, led to greater message-evoked fear when the message was presented with high-virality metrics, and this pattern was particularly pronounced among those with low perceived susceptibility to colorectal cancer. Furthermore, a formal test of moderated mediation showed that the indirect effect of loss framing on colonoscopy intention through message-evoked fear was significantly moderated by perceived susceptibility to colorectal cancer when the message was presented with high-virality metrics. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

The influence of online forum and SNS use on online political discussion in China: Assessing “Spirals of Trust”

Echoing the significance of mobile online networks in fueling the Arab Spring, the present study seeks to better understand social media influences in China by studying political activity among Chinese netizens. A survey of Chinese college students examines the influence of online social networks in the context of political attitudes and political participation. Study results reveal a moderate but positive impact of online forum and social networking site use on online political discussion. Implications for political change in the social networking era, particularly in regimes that practice Internet censorship like China’s, are discussed.     

Show your best self(ie): An exploratory study on selfie-related motivations and behavior in emerging adulthood

Although self-presentation has been studied for decades, social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook have produced novel opportunities for visual online self-presentation. Posting selfies is currently a popular mode of consciously constructing visual online self-presentations, yet most prior research is limited to selfie-posting alone. This study aimed to profile selfie-makers’ motivations and behavior, and examine the extent to which underlying mechanisms preceding selfie-posting are interconnected. Results of a survey (N?=?224; 79.9% females; M_age?=?21.66, SD_age?=?2.08) regarding selfie-behavior on SNS (e.g., Facebook and Instagram) characterized selfie-makers in emerging adulthood as mainly concerned with the social aspects of selfies. Entertainment and moment-retention were identified as main motivations for selfie-making. Findings supported the proposed Selfie-Stadium Model, representing various steps of selfie-taking and underlying motives as well as selection and editing before actual posting. This study on profiling selfie-makers and their self-presentation taps into a fairly new media use research domain.     

Formation and fragmentation within a networked public sphere: Social media debates on Traditional Chinese Medicine

By analyzing the social media posts published by the scientific community and conventional media organizations, the study explored the recent social media debates on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). A combination of textual analysis and content analysis revealed two main findings. First, different networks of expertise on Weibo generated conflicting discourses about TCM: while the scientific community contributed the overwhelming majority of posts that criticized TCM, conventional media outlets were much more likely to promote TCM without skepticism. Implications of the finding is discussed. Second, the social media debate did not appear to facilitate problem solving, evidenced by the fact that only a small portion of the posts included rational comments about the controversy. In addition, users typically communicated only with users who shared their viewpoints, resulting in few communications between groups. The trend illustrates the fragmentation of China’s networked public sphere on Weibo.