The outcome of online social interactions on Facebook pages

A study of user engagement behavior

Bibliographic Data

ID12420337
AuthorsHamid Khobzi (0000-0002-0900-8645, City University of Hong Kong, corresponding author), Raymond Y K Lau (0000-0002-5751-4550, City University of Hong Kong), Terence Cheung (0000-0003-1983-5393, City University of Hong Kong), Terence C H Cheung
Year2018
Volume29
Issue1
Pages2-23
Publication date2018-12-11
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternet Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1066-2243 • E-ISSN: 2054-5657
PublisherEmerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1108/intr-04-2017-0161
OpenAlexW2904343548
LanguageEN
Citations received25
References cited47

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of different ways of message framing on users’ engagement behavior regarding the brand posts on Facebook and to determine whether users’ thumbs-up and reply moderate this impact. Design/methodology/approach A panel data analysis was conducted on a panel with 11,894 observations on 850 unique brand posts from the Facebook pages of the world’s most valuable brands over a seven days window with two observations each day. A system of equations was estimated using ordinary least squares, Hausman–Taylor IV and seemingly unrelated regressions to test study’s hypotheses. Findings The empirical findings confirm that more positively and negatively framed comments result in increased users’ engagement. Also, an increase in thumbs-up ratio for neutrally and negatively framed comments results in less engagement. The reply ratio might also have a positive and negative moderation effect on the influence of neutrally and positively framed comments on engagement behavior, respectively. Practical implications This study provides an in-depth understanding of online social interactions on Facebook pages for firms’ managers and marketers. Online social interactions might be either harmful or fruitful for firms depending on the type of interaction and engagement behavior. Findings can help managers and marketer to improve their strategies for leveraging Facebook for electronic marketing. Originality/value This is likely to be the first study that examines the moderating effect of users’ thumbs-up and reply on the relationship between message framing and users’ engagement behavior. By providing robust findings by addressing issues like omitted variables and endogeneity, the findings of this study are promising for developing new hypotheses and theoretical models in the context of online social interactions

Advertising · Business · Creativity · Framing (construction · Moderation · Originality · Social media · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Engineering · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Psychology · Social Psychology · Technology Adoption and User Behaviour

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub