To boldly go where no group has gone before: An analysis of online group identity and validation of a measure

Online groups have become more popular in recent decades, in both research and practice. Many authors have proposed important outcomes of group membership, and some have even investigated some preliminary dynamics of these online groups. Unfortunately, no validated measure of online group identity exists, causing these researchers to employ measures with poor psychometric properties or concerning construct validity. For these reasons, the current article undergoes a multiple study process to validate a measure of online group identity. In doing so, several aspects of online group identity are discovered, largely based on propositions previously posed for offline groups. Study 1 demonstrates that individuals from a general sample identify with online groups, and the measure has an identifiable factor structure. Using a naturally occurring online group, Study 2 shows the measure’s concurrent, convergent, and divergent validity, while simultaneously revealing many novel relationships of online group identity. Lastly, Study 3 investigates the effect of The United States President, Barack Obama, creating an account on the website studied in Study 2 and interacting with group members. The results of Study 3 reveal that online group identity did not change after this historic event, although members had notable emotional responses. In all, the current study illustrates the validity of an online group identity measure, and discovers many important relationships previously unknown in regards to online group identity. It is believed that the investigated measure of online group identity will become an important tool in future research, especially when further probing the relationships analyzed in the current study. Further implications and suggestions for future studies are discussed.