Title: The path toward users' active participation in social media: a moderation study

Authors: Narges Hazari; Mohsen Akbari; Milad Hooshmand Chaijani

Addresses: Faculty of Management and Economics, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran ' Faculty of Management and Economics, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran ' Faculty of Management and Economics, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

Abstract: In the 21st century, the development of information and communications technology has created unlimited communication facilities between companies and their customers and has made it possible for customers to access products and services at any time and place through online platforms such as Instagram. In this regard, the present study has been conducted to investigate the impact of Instagram contests, user emotions, user experiences, and brand awareness on their active participation (engagement) with the company, taking into account the moderating role of users' type. For this purpose, an Instagram contest was designed and 300 responses were collected for statistical analysis. The collected data were analysed by structural equation modelling and the partial least squares. According to the results, there is a positive, direct and significant relationship between the investigated variables, but the moderating role of the users' type was not confirmed.

Keywords: social media strategy; user feeling; user experience; user engagement; active participation; brand awareness; Instagram contest features.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2026.155130

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2026 Vol.25 No.1, pp.68 - 86

Received: 01 Apr 2023
Accepted: 15 Oct 2023
Published online: 28 Jul 2026 *

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