How Television Viewers Use Social Media to Engage with Programming: The Social Engagement Scale Development and Validation

Abstract

This study investigated social television viewing behavior by introducing the social engagement construct and validating its measurement scale. total of 655 social media users i. online consumer panels were sampled to complete the 3-stage research strategy. Through conceptualization and operationalization of social engagement, this study identifie. underlying dimensions in social engagement, i.e., vertical involvement, diagonal interaction, horizontal intimacy, and horizontal influence. Thes. dimensions represen. continuum in which audiences’ social engagement behaviors range fro. lower level (vertical involvement) t. higher level (horizontal influence). The theoretical and practical implications of the social engagement construct were also discussed.