Predicting a Threshold of Perceived Facebook Post Success via Likes and Reactions: A Test of Explanatory Mechanisms |
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| Authors: | Caleb T Carr Rebecca A Hayes Erin M Sumner |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Communication, Illinois State University;2. Human Communication, Trinity University |
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| Abstract: | Individuals frequently engage in self-presentation via social media and can subsequently receive various simple communicative cues (paralinguistic digital affordances; PDAs) from which they may determine the success of their self-presentation, including Likes and Upvotes. Previous research has found these communicatively abstract one-click cues are interpreted idiosyncratically when received, but the quantity received matters to users in determining whether a post is “successful.” The present work probes explanatory mechanisms behind the use of PDA responses as a metric of self-presentational success, deriving hypotheses from social comparison theory, social penetration theory, and expectancy violations theory. Results from a survey (N = 255) reveal that social comparison and communicative reciprocity provide explanatory power regarding the threshold of Likes and Reactions to a Facebook post needed to consider a post successful. |
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| Keywords: | Expectancy Violations Likes Paralinguistic Digital Affordances Reactions Social Comparison Social Media Reciprocity |
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