University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 5-2014 The ediM ating Effect of Team Identification on the Relationship between Social Media Consumption and Intentions Jaeahm Park University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Social Media Commons, Sports Management Commons, and the Sports Studies Commons Recommended Citation Park, Jaeahm, "The eM diating Effect of Team Identification on the Relationship between Social Media Consumption and Intentions" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 2333. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2333 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. The Mediating Effect of Team Identification on the Relationship between Social Media Consumption and Intentions The Mediating Effect of Team Identification on the Relationship between Social Media Consumption and Intentions A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Recreation and Sport Management by Jaeahm Park Daegu University Bachelor of Physical Education, 2009 Daegu University Master of Physical Education, 2011 May 2014 University of Arkansas This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. _______________________________ Dr. Stephen W. Dittmore Dissertation Director _______________________________ _________________________________ Dr. Steve Langsner Dr. Merry Moiseichik Committee Member Committee Member _______________________________ Dr. Kasey Walker Committee Member ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to (a) identify the motivational factor for subscribing to collegiate athletics‟ social media (b) analyze the effect of subscribing to collegiate athletics‟ online social media on team identification (c) analyze the effect of subscribing to collegiate athletics‟ online social media on behavior intentions mediated by team identification. The study also examined the difference across demographic information which can be used for fan segmentation. By analyzing a total of 146 undergraduate students from University of Arkansas Recreation and Sport Management classes, this dissertation found the following. This study verified seven motives for subscribing to school teams‟ social media including information, diversion, socialization, pass-time, fanship, team support, technical knowledge through a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In addition, a result of multiple regression indicated that five of seven motives including diversion (β = .210, p < .01), socialization (β = .220, p < .001), fanship (β = .184, p < .05), team support (β = .139, p <. 05), technical knowledge (β = .218, p < .001) significantly predicted social media consumption. According to a result of simple regression, social media consumption significantly predicted team identification, F(1, 144) = 61.35, p <. 001. Both the linear relationship between team identification and intention to recommend [F(1, 144) = 120.24, p <.001] and the linear relationship between team identification and intention to attend the game [F(1, 144) = 210.00, p <.001] were statistically significant. Furthermore, this dissertation found the mediating effect of team identification on the relationship between social media consumption and intentions based on a four step approach (Baron & Kenny, 1986). These results will expand the growing literature on social media in sport and offer practical data for marketers to use social media more effectively. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the many people who helped me in the process of completing this dissertation. First, I wish to thank my dissertation committee, Dr. Steve Langsner, Dr. Merry Moiseichik, and Dr. Kasey Walker, whose guidance and direction furthered my intellect and understanding. Second, I wish to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Stephen W. Dittmore. I could overcome a lot of barriers as an international student with his countless encouragement and support. Finally, I would like to thank my family in Korea for their endless dedication. None of this would have been possible without the support of my family. DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my beloved father, Kyung-hee Park, and my mother, Tae-sun Jung. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................................... 4 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................... 4 Research Question .......................................................................................................... 5 Research Hypotheses ..................................................................................................... 5 Limitations and Delimitations of the Study ................................................................ 5 Definition of Terms ..................................................................................................................... 6 II. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................................. 8 Social Media ................................................................................................................................ 8 Online Consumption Motivation ............................................................................... 15 Uses and Gratification ................................................................................................. 15 Website Consumption ................................................................................................. 16 Social Media Consumption ......................................................................................... 17 Summary of Motivation for Online Consumption ................................................... 18 Team Identification ................................................................................................................... 20 Team Identification and Consumer Behavior .......................................................... 23 Team Identification and Media Consumption .......................................................... 24 Intention ...................................................................................................................................... 25 Intention and Team Identification .............................................................................. 27 Differences across the Demographic Information ................................................................ 28 Difference in Media Consumption ............................................................................. 28 Difference in Motivation ............................................................................................. 28 Difference in Team Identification .............................................................................. 30 Difference in Intention ................................................................................................ 30 Summary of the Literature Review ......................................................................................... 30 III. METHOD ......................................................................................................................................... 32 Sample ........................................................................................................................................ 32 Instrumentation .......................................................................................................................... 32 Scale of Motivation ...................................................................................................... 33 Scale of Team Identification ....................................................................................... 33 Scale of Intention to Recommend .............................................................................. 33 Scale of Intention to Attend the Game ...................................................................... 34 Scale of Social Media Usage ...................................................................................... 34 Demographics ............................................................................................................... 34 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 35 Reliability and Validity ............................................................................................... 35 Stage One: Motivation for Subscribing to Social Media ........................................ 36 Stage Two: The Effect of Social Media Consumption ........................................... 36 A Four Step Approach .................................................................................... 36 Stage Three: The Difference across Demographic Information ............................ 37 IV. RESULTS ........................................................................................................................................