Impression Management to Extended-Self: Effect of WhatsApp Stickers Usage among Young Adults

Abstract

Digital objects, such as graphicons, have been increasingly used to facilitate communication across social media (SM) networks among young adults. This study investigates the usage of stickers, a type of graphicon, by young adults on WhatsApp from the perspective of the extended self. Self-administered online survey was used to collect data from WhatsApp users aged 18–35 years living in India, and Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to analyze the data. Drawing from the theories of impression management (IM) and the extended self, the results indicate that sticker usage on WhatsApp may lead to the formation of an extended self, and this relationship may be mediated by self-promotion and ingratiation. Statistically significant results were obtained based on participant responses in this study, and that construct validity and reliability of the model generated were confirmed. The study contributes to the emerging literature on stickers and extends our understanding of IM and the formation of extended self during WhatsApp communication among young adults.

Keywords:

• WhatsApp
• sticker
• extended-self
• self-promotion
• ingratiation
• young adults

Disclosure statement

The authors declare there is no complete of Interest at this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Akash Saharan

Akash Saharan is an Assistant Lecturer and Doctoral Scholar at Jindal Global Business School, India. He holds an M.B.A. from O. P. Jindal Global University, India. He has 3 years of experience in digital marketing agencies handling online brand communication strategies. His research interests lie in marketing and strategy.

Anjuman Antil

Anjuman Antil is Sessional Lecturer at WHZ, Germany. Previously she has worked as Assistant Professor at Netaji Subhash University of Technology and Jindal Global Business School, India. She holds a Ph.D. (Marketing) from Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi. Her research focuses on consumer behaviour, sustainability and political communication.

Satyam

Satyam is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at IIM Ranchi, India. He has a Ph.D. in Marketing from IIM Lucknow and worked with Bharat Petroleum, a Fortune 500 company. His research focuses on marketing in impoverished contexts, traditional marketing channels, entrepreneurial marketing, etc.