Satisfaction from romantic relationship and social media usage. Mediating role of self-disclosure and CMC motives
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-09-2018-0078 |
| Date | 11 November 2019 |
| Pages | 609-628 |
| Published date | 11 November 2019 |
| Author | Mohit Yadav,Sangita Choudhary |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Knowledge management,Knowledge management systems |
Satisfaction from romantic
relationship and social
media usage
Mediating role of self-disclosure
and CMC motives
Mohit Yadav
Jindal Global Business School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India, and
Sangita Choudhary
School of Management, BML Munjal University, Gurgaon, India
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of thispaper is to examine the influence of satisfaction from romantic relationships
on social media usage, with computer-mediated communication (CMC) motives and self-disclosure
dimensionsacting as mediators of the relationship.
Design/methodology/approach –The data were collectedfrom 420 individuals active on social media.
Data were analysed with confirmatory factoranalysis, Pearson correlation, hierarchical multiple regression
and mediationanalysis based on Baron and Kenny’s (1986) conditions.
Findings –The result froma cross-sectional survey of 420 individualsreveals how relationship satisfaction
leads to the use of six social mediachannels directly and indirectly through five dimensions of CMC motives
and four dimensionsof self-disclosure. Out of 54 possible mediations,17 were found to be significant.
Originality/value –The present study fulfils the need to identify how satisfaction in a romantic
relationshipimpacts self-disclosure and socialmedia selection and usage.
Keywords Romantic relationship, Social media, Self-disclosure, CMC motives, WhatsApp,
Facebook, Mediation, CFA
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Internet users in India are growing at a fast pace. The overall internet penetration in India
stands at about 31 per cent. Approximately77 per cent of internet users in urban and 91 per
cent in rural India use interneton their mobile devices primarily because of affordability and
accessibility of smartphonesin the nation (Livemint, 2017). The most basicuse of internet is
communication. Humans are social animals and have certain interpersonal needs such as
becoming part of a group, having relationshipsand being loved by others (Baumeister and
Leary, 1995). To fulfil their interpersonal needs, people are likely to communicate (Schutz,
1966). Many people use computer-mediated communication (CMC) as a tool to form,
maintain and develop relationships(Pornsakulvanich et al.,2008).
People interact and tend to form relationships with others to fulfil their interpersonal needs
(Schutz, 1966). However, when their interpersonal needs are not met by face-to-
face communication, people use other channels of communication like CMC for this purpose
(Rosengren and Windahl, 1972). Use of CMC for interpersonal communication is examined in
various studies (Flaherty et al., 1998;Tanis and Postmes, 2007;Tidwell and Walther, 2002;
Self-disclosure
and CMC
motives
609
Received25 September 2018
Revised30 January 2019
9June2019
16July 2019
Accepted17 July 2019
VINEJournal of Information and
KnowledgeManagement Systems
Vol.49 No. 4, 2019
pp. 609-628
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5891
DOI 10.1108/VJIKMS-09-2018-0078
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2059-5891.htm
Walther, 1992;Walther et al., 2008;Walther et al., 2015). Social information processing (SIP)
theory (Walther, 1992) and the hyperpersonal perspective (Walther, 1996) deny the former belief
that absence of non-verbal communication prompts during CMC leads to impersonal and hostile
communication (Short et al., 1976;Sproull and Kiesler, 1986). SIP theory proposes that to create
an impression and grow relationships with others, CMC’s textual messages can be used
(Walther, 1992). The hyperpersonal perspective indicates that in comparison to face-to-face
interaction, CMC results in identical and rather more socially required communication (Walther,
1996). Therefore, both these perspectives advocate that lack of social cues in CMC does not lead
to unpleasant interactions. Yet, these viewpoints do not explain the likely effect of individual
difference on the use of outcomes of CMC.
Other viewpoints, mainly uses and gratification (U&G) theory, advise that people differ
in their social and psychologicalcircumstances, which possibly impact on mode and reasons
for using the media to accomplish their specific needs (Blumler et al., 1974). U&G theory
suggests that individuals differin the gratifications that they seek out from the mass media.
The needs and gratifications that people look for can be grouped into several categories –
personal relationship, personal identity, diversion and surveillance (McQuail et al.,1972).
U&G theory emphasises the motives for media use, aspects that influence motives and
outcomes of media-relatedbehaviour.
Social networking sites(SNS) have become popular media in recent years, helping people
to develop their personal networks (See-To and Ho, 2014). Enjoyment,communication with
peers are among the various uses of SNS (CMC technology) (Lin and Lu, 2011).But different
CMC technologies have specific imbibed features to be able to satisfy certain needs of the
user. For example, YouTube is used for listening to music, watching videos, etc., and
Facebook for building personal and professional networks. Fast lifestyle, high work
pressure and stress have become a part of many individuals’daily lives. One of the most
important aspect of a person’s life is LOVE (Cotter and Kerschner,2018;Kansky et al.,2019).
Hence, satisfaction from romantic relationship (individual difference) can be taken as a
significant factor that is expectedto have an impact on individuals’interpersonal needs and
its specific CMC motives. Many studies have been conducted that account for individual
differences in the context of CMC use (Correa et al.,2010;Herring, 2000;Joinson, 2001b;
Schiffrin et al., 2010;Wilson, 2000;Wilson et al.,2010). With the prevalent use of CMC, it is
possible to create a deeper understandingof personal and social attributes to determine why
people use CMC and to examine the outcomes of CMC-related behaviour (Papacharissi and
Rubin, 2000). The objectives of the current study are to explore how individual differences
originating from satisfaction from romantic relationships are impacting individuals’CMC
motives and self-disclosure, and how CMC motives and self-disclosure guide the usage of
SNS. Therefore, the current study attempts to investigate how satisfaction from romantic
relationships influences social media usage of individuals, with CMC motives and self-
disclosure dimensionsacting as mediators of this relationship.
The current study contributesto the literature in several ways. First, till now, the impact
of social media on the relationships of users has been studied; however, to the best of our
knowledge, the current work is the first attempt to assess the influence of satisfaction from
romantic relationshipson SNS usage. Second, the current study offers important insights for
psychologists relating to the impact of satisfaction levels from romantic relationship on
CMC motives and disclosures by the individuals. Third, the current study also provides
important informationregarding the selection of the social media tool given the unique set of
satisfaction from romantic relationship, specified aspect of self-disclosureand defined CMC
motive, which may assist policymakers and managers to come up with appropriate
strategies.
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