Leading factors that explain engagement in closed Facebook groups

Abstract

Introduction. Facebook groups are a popular way to communicate and exchange information. This is reinforced when membership of the particular group forms an important part of that member’s identity. Method. The authors joined closed Facebook groups and studied the factors that enhance engagement from within. This study used a mixed method: 1) the level of engagement in closed Facebook groups was coded for 274 group members over a two-month period: the number of posts, comments and ‘likes’ were counted for each participant; 2) an online survey was answered by these participants, containing demographic questions, a group importance questionnaire, an offline activity measure and a Big5 personality questionnaire. Analysis. The data were collected into Excel, with a sheet for each participant, and then transferred to SPSS for statistical analyses. Results. There is a positive relationships between engagement, group importance, and offline activity. Women and stable, older participants tended to engage more in group discussions. A partial, positive relationship between extroversion and engagement was found. Conclusion. The findings give groups’ managers and members tools to enhance higher engagement in Facebook groups, which may sustain the online community as a dynamic social group, where all members have equal rights to engage.