The influence of personality on active and passive use of social networking sites

TLDR

Managers increasingly use social networking sites to strengthen customer relationships and enhance content and service, but effective use requires understanding participants’ psychological attributes and social interactions. This study investigates how two personality traits—consumer innovativeness and expressiveness—affect active and passive use of social networks among Italian consumers through a two‑study inquiry. Study 1 found that consumer innovativeness predicts both active and passive use, while Study 2 showed that self‑identity and social‑identity expressiveness predict only active use, suggesting managers should differentiate between passive engagement and active contribution and leverage expressiveness to boost affiliation and market share. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Abstract

Abstract Managers are more and more interested in social networking sites because they provide opportunities for strengthening relationships with customers as well as site content and service. Using social networking sites effectively, however, depends on understanding both the psychological attributes and social interactions of participants. This paper addresses these topics by presenting the results of a two‐study inquiry into the importance of two personality traits (consumer innovativeness and expressiveness) to active and passive use of social networks among Italian consumers. In Study 1 ( n = 753) it was found that innovativeness is positively related to active and passive use. Study 2 ( n = 277) revealed that self‐identity expressiveness and social identity expressiveness positively influence only active use. These results suggest that managers need to distinguish bet‐ween, and differentially encourage, joining and browsing such sites on the one hand and actively contributing to them on the other. Managers can also enhance the impact of their social networking sites by taking into account social and self‐identity expressiveness to increase affiliation and market share and by encouraging consumers to use these sites actively. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.