CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT IN SOCIAL NETWORKS: BRAND CONTENT MECHANISMS AFFECTING CONSUMER USAGE INTENTION

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the influence of the relation between the content cultural spaces generate and consumers' intention to use to identify the mechanisms that best fit online brand communities. Method: We conducted a survey with social media users, employing Smart PLS-SEM 3.0 and the SPSS Process macro in our analyses. we proposed a theoretical hypothesis that brand content positively impacts consumer intention to use by a serial relation between consumer involvement engagement, commitment, trust, and self-brand connection. Results: Results suggest a partial parallel and serial mediation in the relation between information, entertainment, and incentives and consumers' intention to use. Theoretical/methodological contributions: This study contributes to the relevant theoretical framework by examining a parallel mediation of engagement and commitment with self-brand connection, thus validating the nomological network of engagement. Originality/Relevance: This study complements findings from previous studies (e.g.,Santini et al.. 2020) that contradict conventional managerial wisdom, which suggested that the direct effect of commitment as an antecedent of engagement is insignificant. However, trust is insignificant in a cultural context. On the other hand, commitment and engagement can mediate the cultural space content and consumers' intention to use that space profile.