Happier with the Internet thanks to Social Networking Sites: An Affective and Cognitive Framework
(A2019-8696)

AUTHORS

Andreas Munzel, Toulouse School of Management Research-CNRS University Toulouse 1 Capitole ; Julien Cloarec, TSM-Research, Université Toulouse Capitole, CNRS; Lars Meyer-Waarden, Toulouse School of Management Research -CNRS University Toulouse 1 Capitole

KEYWORDS

Social Networking Sites; Satisfaction with Personalization; Happiness with the Internet

ABSTRACT

The average person spends almost one hour per day on social networking sites (SNS), such as Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, which leverages the potential to analyze users’ behaviors and personalize their experiences. In our study, we address the Marketing Science Institute’s call for research by looking into the benefits of personalization and the effects of digital customer experiences on affective evaluations, such as happiness. Our research contributes to the literature about the SNS-happiness relationship by providing an affective and cognitive framework that uses satisfaction with personalization and satisfaction with the Internet as mediators. Questionnaires were administered online by a large consumer panel provider, which resulted in a French representative sample of 624 respondents. The results show that SNS use frequency directly and indirectly—via satisfaction with personalization and satisfaction with the Internet—positively affects happiness with the Internet.