Genuine, fake, or does it matter? exploring engagement behavior driven by self-presentation

• Challenges the assumption that customer engagement signals a strong brand relationship. • Recasts engagement by exposing self–presentation as a core motivational driver. • Identifies three self–presentation–driven engagement behavior types. • Highlights risks for firms relying on surface–level engagement metrics. Customer engagement research assumes engagement is underpinned by pre-existing purchase or usage relationships and genuine cognitive or emotional connections with a brand. However, social media research reveals extensive activity motivated by self-presentation, resulting in content that lacks veracity. This paper explores self-presentation-driven engagement behaviors on social media and the brand relationships that drive them. A qualitative study employing semi-structured interviews with 30 Facebook users was conducted, revealing three types of engagement behaviors for self-presentation (EBSP) — “staged,” “fanciful,” and “faked” behaviors — and identifying their underlying brand relationships and consumer motivations that deviate from existing assumptions in engagement research. This study contributes by (1) introducing new types of engagement behaviors informed by self-presentation theory; (2) challenging assumptions about the brand relationships that support customer engagement; (3) reframing how engagement should be conceptualized and studied; and (4) revealing how engagement behaviors reflect differing levels of congruity between the self and brand.