Factors driving young users' engagement with Facebook: Evidence from Brazil

User engagement has recently been the focus of attention for marketing planners who want to capture the enormous opportunities provided by social media. In this study, we investigate the drivers of social media user engagement by extending an existing model of social media participation by Cheung, Chiu and Lee (2011). We included in the model three social influence factors, five uses and gratifications factors, and one social presence factor. Results from an online survey with a sample of young Facebook users in Brazil (n?=?1126) reveal four significant factors, i.e. a) subjective norm b) social identity, c) entertainment value, and d) maintaining interpersonal interconnectivity. Our empirical results also show an improved model fit over the existing model of user participation used by Cheung et?al. (2011). This research adds significance to the literature by extending an existing theoretical model to study a new phenomenon in a different cultural context. We also provide practical recommendations for managing brand fan pages on how to foster user engagement with social media. This study extends an existing model of social media participation to study user engagement.We tested the model in a new yet important field context: young Facebook users in Brazil.Subjective norm, social identity, entertainment and maintaining interpersonal interconnectivity are significant factors.The impact of social presence was not significant.

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