Consumer motivations for engaging with corporate social responsibility on social media

Abstract

Purpose This study analyzes consumer motivations to share information about corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities through electronic word of mouth. It examines the roles of self-enhancement, identity signaling, and social bonding as antecedents of consumers’ CSR engagement on social media. Methodology A quantitative approach is used with a single-factor between-subjects experimental design in which the presence vs. absence of CSR information on a company website is manipulated. The hypotheses are tested through structural equation modeling. Findings Results show that after viewing the company’s CSR message on its website, consumers that generated more CSR associations were more motivated to engage with the CSR information to satisfy fundamental personality traits (need for self-enhancement) and social relationship motivations (social bonding), which increased their intention to share the information. Practical implications The study highlights the relevance of including CSR information on websites, and offers insights into the importance of considering consumers in disseminating CSR information. Consumers share information when they have personal motivation for doing so. Research limitations This study is restricted to CSR information on websites. Further research should consider social media, as consumers are more likely to spread CSR messages when they are shared by other public social network sites. Originality The results show the importance of personal motivations such as self-enhancement and social bonding in sharing CSR information on social media.