The Effect of Consumers' Affective Engagement on Their Personal Data Disclosure on Social Media

ABSTRACT Prior research typically models consumer engagement as a multidimensional (cognitive, affective and behavioural) construct, limiting insight into the effects of affective engagement (AE) on consumer behavior. Addressing this gap, we take a social exchange theory perspective to explore the effect of AE on consumers' willingness to disclose their personal data on social media (i.e., reciprocal exchange). Our PLS‐SEM results of three studies suggest that AE boosts consumers' willingness to disclose their basic factual personal data (e.g., their full name/email address) on social media directly and as mediated by their willingness to disclose their data in online purchasing (i.e., negotiated exchange; Study 1). The findings also indicate that AE raises consumers' willingness to disclose additional personal information on social media (i.e., about their donation to a charity) both directly and as mediated by their willingness to disclose their personal data in online purchasing (Study 2). Finally, the results reveal that AE directly and indirectly impacts consumers' actual personal data disclosure behavior on social media (Study 3). Overall, AE emerges as a critical determinant of consumers' online intentions and behavior, suggesting its strategic importance for relationship marketing and customer relationship management.