Relationship building through reputation and tribalism on companies’ Facebook pages

A uses and gratifications approach

Bibliographic Data

ID12420525
AuthorsJiangmeng Helen Liu (University of Miami, corresponding author), Michael North (0000-0001-7362-4058, Central Connecticut State University), Cong Li (0009-0002-7711-7277, University of Miami)
Year2017
Volume27
Issue5
Pages1149-1169
Publication date2017-09-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternet Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1066-2243 • E-ISSN: 2054-5657
PublisherEmerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1108/intr-03-2016-0078
OpenAlexW2755068600
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited86

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to adopt the uses and gratifications theory (Katz et al., 1974) to understand the phenomenon of relationship building on Facebook. In addition to company-related uses and gratifications, self-related uses and gratifications – expressing self-concept and seeking social interactions and entertainment – were identified. Company reputation and tribalism were incorporated in the theoretical model as underlying mechanisms to explain the effect of the company Facebook page usage on relationship building and engagement behaviors. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted in a Southeastern university in the USA with 459 college students. A three-phased model was proposed and analyzed using structural equational modeling. Findings The study results demonstrated that the use and gratification of expressing self-concept led to better perceptions of company tribalism and improved relational outcomes (trust and satisfaction). Company-related uses and gratifications, on the other hand, increased trust and satisfaction by increasing perceived company reputation. Satisfaction was found to significantly encourage individuals' word-of-mouth activities about the company as well as Facebook engagement. Originality/value Although extensive research has been conducted on the topic of companies' social media pages, most prior studies focused on company communication practices and strategies. This study explored this phenomenon from the public's perspective regarding various usage motivations and patterns. Company tribalism, as a relatively new concept, was introduced to explain how expressing self-concept through companies' social media pages could benefit relationship building and eventually result in engagement behaviors

Advertising · Business · Cyberpsychology · Entertainment · Epistemology · Phenomenon · Political science · Reputation · Social media · Social science · Sociology · Tribalism · Uses and gratifications theory · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Customer Service Quality and Loyalty · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Knowledge Management and Sharing · Psychology · Social Psychology · Marketing

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