Social media dispositions and goals: the influence of trust, information, and popularity on consumer engagement

Abstract Optimizing social media marketing investments requires identifying the empirical drivers of online consumer engagement. Grounded in uses and gratifications theory, this study models how consumer dispositions (opinion leadership and trust) and goal orientations (information seeking and popularity) govern engagement behaviors. Using survey data ( N = 440) analyzed via structural equation modeling (SEM) and linear regression, we quantify the direct and indirect pathways shaping brand interactions. The empirical results show that social media popularity is a critical mediator, linking foundational consumer dispositions to active consumer engagement with brands using social media. While general trust and opinion leadership traits establish the baseline propensity to interact, engagement converts most effectively when platforms fulfill self-promotional goals. These findings contribute to marketing analytics by providing an actionable framework for predictive audience segmentation and data-driven resource allocation. These findings also show how social media marketing teams can optimize marketing budgets by designing digital touchpoints that support consumer self-expression and community-building.