The playfulness of Facebook – Shaped by underlying psychological drivers and gender differences

Self-disclosure during the COVID-19 emergency: Effects of narcissism traits, time perspective, virtual presence, and hedonic gratification

During the COVID-19 emergency, people must face the invisible threat of uncertain death and comply with social distancing and other related protective measures. But social networking sites (SNSs) like WeChat have emerged as alternative contexts where people can maintain self and obtain gratification, despite the disclosure of self to others often being a challenging issue. To examine the effect of personality factors on people's self-disclosure on SNSs, we develop a model based on the time perspective theory and the socioemotional selectivity theory. We suggest that people's narcissism traits and two types of time perspective (i.e. future and present-hedonistic) have positive effects on their self-disclosure. In addition, we propose that virtual presence and hedonic gratification mediate the effects of both future time perspective and present-hedonistic time perspective. We obtain a sample of 516 WeChat users in China and take ex-ante and post-hoc measures to deal with common method variance. By means of partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) methods, we validate both our measurement model and the structural model, so we confirm all the hypothesized causal paths in the proposed model. Our study broadens the boundaries of the time perspective theory and the socioemotional selectivity theory, and offers new insights for addressing some of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Differing Perceptions of the Smartwatch by Users Within Developed Countries

This article aims to identify differences in the impact of Self-connectivity and the variables of the technological acceptance model (TAM) on smartwatch adoption in developed countries. The countries involved in the data collection were the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. A sample of 1,197 respondents was used. The study identifies distinct adoption behaviours of smartwatch users in these countries and the moderating impacts of age and gender. The study's results confirm that perceived ease-of-use has no impact on attitude-toward-using the smartwatch and its findings emphasize the key role of perceived-connectivity and the moderating effect of culture on the adoption of innovative products.

A PLS-Neural Network Analysis of Motivational Orientations Leading to Facebook Engagement and the Moderating Roles of Flow and Age

Despite engagement being a criterion for the success of initiatives on Facebook, there is a lack of conclusive evidence about its connections with the psychological and motivational orientations that lead one to use Facebook. Built upon the uses and gratifications theory, we develop an integrative and context-specific model that links engagement with enjoyment, self-presentation, and community belonging-identified as motivational orientations underlying Facebookers' behaviors. We also draw on current flow accounts and socioemotional selectivity theory to examine the potential moderating roles of both flow experiences and age differences. We validate the survey instrument and test the model on a sample of active Facebook users. Model testing and sensitive analysis is performed with a two-stage method that combines partial least squares (PLS) and artificial neural network analysis. The results provide strong support for the validity of the hypothesized causal, mediating and moderating relationships embodied in the model. The research also provides insights into practitioners seeking to enhance Facebookers' engagements and promote continued use of Facebook.

Imagine, feel “there”, and flow! Immersive experiences on m-Facebook, and their affective and behavioural effects

Purpose

Mobile Facebook (m-Facebook) creates many business opportunities for brands and firms while increasingly drawing interest in scientific literature. However, research is scarce on the immersive experiences prompted by m-Facebook, and how these experiences facilitate users’ engagement, their positive attitude towards Facebook and their continued use of it. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper theoretically and empirically analyses m-Facebook users’ immersive experiences, along with their affective and behavioural effects.

Findings

The results reveal the important role of imagery, presence and flow in the context of m-Facebook; the interplay between these three immersive phenomena; and the influence the user’s optimum stimulation level has on them.

Originality/value

The investigation offers a foundation for understanding users’ immersive experiences on m-Facebook, and informs practitioners who aim to enhance users’ engagement with, attitude towards, and continued use of m-Facebook content.