Clicking for change: the role of empathy and negative affect on engagement with a charitable social media campaign. Issue 12 (2nd December 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Weiss, Julia K.; Cohen, Elizabeth L.
• Is Part Of: Behaviour & information technology. Volume 38:Issue 12(2019)
• Page Start: 1185
• Page End: 1193
• Publication Date: 2019-12-02
• Subjects: Empathy -- negative emotional appeal -- social sharing -- social network sites; Electronic data processing -- Periodicals; Human engineering -- Periodicals; Information technology -- Periodicals; 303.4833
• DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2019.1578827
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0144-929X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study investigated the effects of a campaign video designed to promote prosocial behaviour by eliciting negative emotions on social network site (SNS) users' willingness to engage with the content in ways that require little effort (e.g. 'liking, ' commenting, and sharing). Negative affect was examined as a mediator of the effect of state empathy and content engagement, and trait empathic concern and trait personal distress were examined as potential moderators of this indirect effect. Results demonstrate that state empathy with the subject of the campaign video elicited negative affect, which in turn encouraged engagement. This indirect effect was moderated by empathic concern, such that those with greater empathic concern expressed less willingness to engage with the SNS campaign.