Community Engagement and Community Identification in Social Community: Collective Efficacy as a Mediator

Abstract

We examined the relationship between how the engaging in social community and how the members identify themselves with their communities. In addition, we also investigated that how collective efficacy, belief in group capacity, emerged from community engagement mediate the relationship. Analysis by using data from various fan communities of celebrities (N=333) showed that community engagement is positively associated with community identification. More importantly, collective efficacy partially mediated the relationship. Our finding contributes to social community literature as it revealed an underlying mechanism of how community engagement increases community identification by strengthening a sense of collective efficacy. In addition, it would be worthwhile if further studies examine other mediators or moderators in order to provide deeper understanding how community engagement leads community identification.