How do users select the content they share on social media: flow theory perspective

Abstract

Purpose

Paper studies the intervention of FI and TD on the sharing intention on social media (SM) users with different motivations.

Design/methodology/approach

The mechanism for different motivations of SM users to influence sharing intention is explored using WarpPLS. The proposed model applies TAM in Hedonic Motivation System context and includes an alternate pathway of flow state.

Findings

Reciprocal relationship between FI and TD is empirically proven. Insights from the “Motivated Sharing Model for Social Media”(MSMSM) follow that users who use SM for information get immersed, however intention to share is not triggered by it.

Practical implications

This study emphasizes on the compatibility of content characteristics with the gratifications of the motivations for SM use to achieve virality. Practitioners may use MSMSM to optimize content, so it appeals to the target audience and has a higher probability of being shared.

Originality/value

Social media users carry different motivations and choose to share select content on the overloaded platform. However, the mechanism for different motivations to drive sharing on SM has remained unexplored. Literature highlights flow as the driver of sharing, whilst the findings on the relationship between flow state and sharing intention on SM are inconclusive; some estimate a positively significant relationship, while others find it to be partially or selectively significant. In this study, intervention of the two dimensions of induced flow: namely, focused immersion (FI) and temporal dissociation (TD)—on the sharing intention on SM is examined.

Citation

Shree, T. (2025), "How do users select the content they share on social media: flow theory perspective", Online Information Review, Vol. 49 No. 1, pp. 15-34. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-01-2022-0021