Impact of online community engagement on community loyalty and social well-being

Abstract

We examined how engaging in an online community affects members’ community loyalty and social well-being. Based on findings in extant literature, we proposed that a sense of collective efficacy would play an important role in addressing the impacts of online community engagement on both community loyalty and social well-being of members. We used data from online fan communities in South Korea and found that engaging in the online community positively influenced both community loyalty and social well-being through enhancing a sense of collective efficacy. Our findings contribute to the literature by revealing the important role of collective efficacy in online communities. Limitations of this study and directions for further research are discussed.