Bela Florenthal, Manar Awad and Susan Godar
Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are increasingly using social media outlets to target millennials for donations of time and money. This study aims to investigate the motivational…
Abstract
Purpose
Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are increasingly using social media outlets to target millennials for donations of time and money. This study aims to investigate the motivational drivers of millennials’ intention to donate money to charities on social media sites (SMSs).
Design/methodology/approach
A partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was used to test the proposed model.
Findings
The results indicate that both information seeking and entertainment, coupled with subjective norm, directly affect millennials’ intention to donate money to NPOs via SMSs. In addition, attitude toward engagement with NPOs on SMSs mediates the impact of credibility (fully, positively), irritation (fully, negatively) and entertainment (partially, positively) on behavior intention. Implications for practitioners are discussed.
Originality/value
An integration of two leading theories, Uses and An integration of two leading theories, Uses and Gratifications (U&G) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)—is used to examine the antecedents of donation behavior of this cohort as related to their engagement with NPOs on SMSs. Such an approach has not been used in the past to examine Millennials’ engagement with NPOs on SMSs.
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A comprehensive operational framework is proposed to explain young consumers’ (i.e. generations Y and Z) engagement with brands on social media sites (SMSs). This paper aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
A comprehensive operational framework is proposed to explain young consumers’ (i.e. generations Y and Z) engagement with brands on social media sites (SMSs). This paper aims to synthesize two motivational theories: uses and gratifications (U&G) theory and the technology acceptance model (TAM).
Design/methodology/approach
A selective literature review was conducted to examine recent publications related to young consumers’ brand-driven engagement behavior on SMSs in which either TAM or U&G theory was applied. A three-stage method was used: an initial search was followed by vertical and horizontal searches and then a targeted search of scholarly publications. At each stage, the university’s library databases and Google Scholar were searched for relevant, mainly peer-reviewed articles, using appropriate filters and keywords. The articles’ references and the studies that cited those articles were added to the initially identified research pool (vertical search), coupled with publications of a similar nature based on keywords (horizontal search). The final stage, the targeted search, involved identifying and adding specific articles (e.g. literature reviews and integrated models).
Findings
After a review of a significant number of U&G and TAM studies, similarities and differences of the two theories were identified, and an integrated operational framework was developed. Based on empirical findings of existing U&G and TAM studies, testable propositions were presented.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed hybrid model and the associated propositions provide a research opportunity to empirically examine how young consumers’ motivational (i.e. motivating and demotivating) drivers, normative influence, perceived value and attitudes (toward brand content and engagement) predict intention or actual brand-related behavior on SMSs.
Practical implications
Much of current research indicates that generations Y and Z (“digital natives”) spend considerably more time on SMSs than any of the older generations (“digital immigrants”). Thus, brands that aim to target this cohort need to develop successful engagement strategies (e.g. gamification and influencer marketing) on current and emerging SMSs. The suggested conceptualization provides guidelines for companies to effectively use such communication strategies to motivate young people to engage with their brands on sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Originality/value
A review of TAM research indicates that it lacks rich motivating/demotivating constructs, and thus borrows from other theories to complement this weakness. An examination of U&G frameworks, particularity Ducoffe (1996)-based models, indicates that these frameworks mainly test engagement with social media advertising but seldom other types of brand-driven engagement on SMSs. In addition, many U&G studies focus less than TAM studies do on outcome variables such as behavioral intentions and behavior. Thus, the authors propose a synthesized U&G and TAM framework that mitigates both theories’ weaknesses and builds on their strengths, enriching the growing research on brand-driven engagement behavior via SMSs.
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– The purpose of this paper is to explore what motivates college students to use LinkedIn and what inhibits them from fully adopting it.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore what motivates college students to use LinkedIn and what inhibits them from fully adopting it.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach applying a “uses and gratifications” framework was used to identify the motives of and barriers faced by college students with respect to the LinkedIn usage. The study includes data collected from 30 upper-level, undergraduate business students.
Findings
Four uses and gratifications categories emerged explaining why college students would be willing to use LinkedIn. Three categories – interpersonal communication, online identity and information – are similar to those identified for using social networks, such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. Career development was found to be a category gratifying only LinkedIn users. Barriers to LinkedIn adoption included students’ ignorance of the network and the erroneous perception that a presence on LinkedIn should be initiated and/or developed only after graduation.
Originality/value
College students’ behavior on social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace, was extensively researched employing the uses and gratifications theory. LinkedIn has recently reached about 200 million users, of which about 30 million are college students and recent graduates. Still, students’ motives, usage patterns and barriers associated with LinkedIn have not been well-documented, which creates a gap that this study attempts to address. The aim is to shed light on what motivates students to use a professional network as opposed to using social networks and what key barriers might prevent college students from fully capitalizing on LinkedIn’s features.
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Bela Florenthal and Aviv Shoham
This paper has two purposes. First, it aims to propose an alternative conceptualization for interactivity that distinguishes between four interactivity modes: human, medium…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper has two purposes. First, it aims to propose an alternative conceptualization for interactivity that distinguishes between four interactivity modes: human, medium, message, and product. Second, it seeks to develop a framework of channel preferences that integrates the four‐mode concept of channel interactivity.
Design/methodology/approach
A synthesis of interactivity literature streaming from several disciplines (social psychology, computer science, communication, object interaction, and marketing) was used to develop the four‐mode concept. A framework is proposed to illustrate how consumers' perceptions of, and preferences for, the four interactivity modes impact channel preferences.
Findings
The propositions developed suggest: channels are perceived as offering different modes of interactivity; preferences for interactivity modes are shaped by personal and situational characteristics; and a match/mismatch between consumers' perceptions of and preferences for the interactivity modes determine channel preferences.
Research limitations/implications
The approach allows an evaluation of particular interactive technologies, an assessment of multi‐channel strategies, and an examination of consumers' satisfaction with their shopping experiences.
Originality/value
The authors propose a broader approach than existing ones. It is not restricted to an online channel; it integrates consumers' interaction with products; and it enables a comparison of online and offline channels. In addition, most research has focused on perceptions of interactivity whereas the framework presented in the paper addresses perceptions of, and preferences for, interactivity modes that impact channel choices.