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A Model of Social Media Engagement: User Profiles, Gratifications, and Experiences

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Why Engagement Matters

Abstract

This chapter presents a model of social media engagement. The model’s components–presentation of self, action and participation, uses and gratifications, positive experiences, usage and activity counts, and social context–are discussed in depth with relevant evidence and examples. The model supports the main thrust of the chapter to combine tangible, e.g., usage and activity counts, and more abstract, e.g., positive user experiences, indicators of engagement in order to better understand why people engage with social media, the extent to which they engage, what social media platforms they interact with, and the outcomes of their engagement. The chapter includes illustrative case studies and concludes with some thought-provoking questions to guide future research, including the ethical and social implications of social media engagement

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Acknowledgements

This paper was funded by SSHRC Insight Grant No. R3603A13 given to A. Quan-Haase, a Western ADF internal grant, and by GRAND NCE, subproject NEWS2 & DIGHUM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON, Canada

    Lori McCay-Peet & Anabel Quan-Haase

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  1. Lori McCay-Peet
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Correspondence to Lori McCay-Peet .

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  1. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Heather O'Brien

  2. University of York, York, United Kingdom

    Paul Cairns

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McCay-Peet, L., Quan-Haase, A. (2016). A Model of Social Media Engagement: User Profiles, Gratifications, and Experiences. In: O'Brien, H., Cairns, P. (eds) Why Engagement Matters. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27446-1_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27446-1_9

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