Title: It matters who shares and who reads: persuasive outcomes of location check-ins on Facebook

Authors: Hyang-Sook Kim; Mun-Young Chung

Addresses: Department of Mass Communication and Communication Studies, Towson University, 132 Stephens Annex, 8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252, USA ' Department of Mass Communication and Communication Studies, Towson University, 132 Stephens Annex, 8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252, USA

Abstract: Despite an emerging trend of location check-ins as a means of mobile communication amongst Facebook users, little attention has been devoted to the value of location check-ins as marketing potential. In particular, little is known about how mobile users process and assess location information shared by their friends on Facebook. Undergirded by persuasion knowledge and elaboration likelihood models, a self-instructed online survey with 255 undergraduate students found that friendship tie strength was positively correlated with students' attitudes towards and perceived credibility of the location information shared by their Facebook friends. However, this relationship was true of those who reported a high level of mobile phone competence rather than those with low mobile phone competence. Prior experience with location sharing on Facebook was also positively correlated with students' evaluations of the location information. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Keywords: elaboration likelihood model; Facebook check-ins; friendship ties; location-based information sharing; mobile phone competence; persuasion knowledge model.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2018.089756

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2018 Vol.16 No.2, pp.135 - 152

Received: 12 Aug 2015
Accepted: 28 Sep 2016
Published online: 09 Feb 2018 *

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