The Roles of Self-identity Cues and Public Self-consciousness in Volunteering for Socially Stigmatized Causes on Social Media

Two experiments are conducted to study marketing strategies (self-identity cues and public self-consciousness) that can be used to fuel volunteering intentions for socially stigmatized cause campaigns on social media. The finding of Study 1 demonstrates that group (vs individual) cues promoting group-wise commitment are more effective for increasing volunteering intentions, but this finding is reported only for those low in public self-consciousness. Furthermore, public self-consciousness itself negatively influences volunteering intentions. Comparing the type of group cue, Study 2 finds that ingroup (vs outgroup) cues signaling an ingroup identity of volunteers are more effective in increasing volunteering intentions, and such effect is more prominent for those high in public self-consciousness. In turn, the interaction effects of group cues and public self-consciousness on volunteering intentions are mediated by the perceived social value of volunteering. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.