Interacting with brand related content in Facebook – Do multiple audiences hinder positive brand interaction?

Self-presentation through social network sites (SNS) is rife, within which consumers assimilate brand-related content as part of their public persona. Existing research into this process has largely assumed a consumer’s... [ view full abstract ]

Self-presentation through social network sites (SNS) is rife, within which consumers assimilate brand-related content as part of their public persona. Existing research into this process has largely assumed a consumer’s audience to be singular at a given time. This is not the case on SNS where there are multiple audiences who hold heterogeneous expectations and are able to simultaneously view a consumer’s presentation. Through applying and extending self-presentation theory, this paper aims to gain an understanding of associated negative affect and consequent impression management of brand-related interaction in the presence of multiple audiences. Surveys (N = 386) presenting real brand posts found on Facebook were used to examine this phenomenon. The study contributes by first finding, social anxiety associated with brand interaction differs across audiences. Second, when audiences are considered simultaneously, the range of audience expectations is negatively related with brand interaction, when mediated by anxiety. Implications are discussed.