Open AccessLeading factors that explain engagement in closed Facebook groups
Author(s) -
Judit BarIlan,
Tali Gazit,
Yair AmichaiHamburger
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
information research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.397
H-Index - 49
ISSN - 1368-1613
DOI - 10.47989/irpaper866
Subject(s) - psychology , social psychology , extraversion and introversion , online and offline , social identity theory , computer assisted web interviewing , personality , social group , big five personality traits , computer science , marketing , business , operating system
. Facebook groups are a popular way to communicate and exchange information. This is reinforced when membership of the particular group forms an important part of that member’s identity. Method. The authors joined closed Facebook groups and studied the factors that enhance engagement from within. This study used a mixed method: 1) the level of engagement in closed Facebook groups was coded for 274 group members over a two-month period: the number of posts, comments and ‘likes’ were counted for each participant; 2) an online survey was answered by these participants, containing demographic questions, a group importance questionnaire, an offline activity measure and a Big5 personality questionnaire. Analysis. The data were collected into Excel, with a sheet for each participant, and then transferred to SPSS for statistical analyses. Results. There is a positive relationships between engagement, group importance, and offline activity. Women and stable, older participants tended to engage more in group discussions. A partial, positive relationship between extroversion and engagement was found. Conclusion. The findings give groups’ managers and members tools to enhance higher engagement in Facebook groups, which may sustain the online community as a dynamic social group, where all members have equal rights to engage.