In a recent study, Garrison and colleagues argued that social presence is a psychological phenomenon that depends on the medium used. The researchers based their analysis on the use of emoticons, a widely used indicator of effect and social presence. As a result, the findings of their study are relevant to understanding social presence in online social networks. However, this is not the only research on this topic. To understand the nature of social interaction, it is crucial to understand how people communicate and interact.
Rettie et al. (1976) formulated a theory of social presence, which focuses on whether a user believes that a person is real or not. These researchers found that users tended to believe that a person exists only when they see them in person. Thus, social presence in online social networks could only be experienced during the moment of communication. While most research on this phenomenon is geared toward identifying what makes a person feel “real” in an online community, these results are not conclusive.
When interacting with a community online, brand managers must maintain a high level of presence. While visibility is important, resonance is the true measure of success. Having a high-quality social media presence is the best way to reach your audience. With high-quality, personalized content, you can earn their trust and business. In addition, having a strong network of connected users will allow you to know your audience better.
There are many conceptualizations of social presence. Kreijns et al. (2020) operationalized social presence as feeling together with other individuals. Their findings supported the notion that socially present persons are more attractive to other people. Further, the results of the surveyed studies indicated that women were more likely to experience higher levels of social existence than males. Moreover, the researchers found that females were more likely to feel connected to their friends and family through social media than males.
Although the findings of empirical research on social presence in various forms of social media are promising, their limitations prevent us from drawing conclusions from them. In particular, the different types of social presence in different contexts and cultures make it impossible to compare findings. As a result, research on the subject of social-media presence is limited, but the results are generally positive. This type of research can be a valuable source of information for academics.
One of the challenges of social presence in online communities is how to build trust in the virtual community. In short, social media users need to be able to trust each other. In the study conducted by Short et al., participants were asked to listen to an advertisement for health. The results showed that people were more likely to engage with the agent who was able to make eye contact with them. This type of behavior can be a sign of a more genuine relationship.
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