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Social media and new online platforms have greatly impacted communication and information exchange (Qualman, 2009). Hence, social media/Internet has enabled direct and interactive contact (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010; Pegoraro, 2010). Social media helps consumers share their thoughts, ideas, and experiences. Smart Insights (2016) reports 2.306 billion social media users. At least one tweet in five mentions a brand, and 20% of these tweets express favorable or negative views about that brand (Jansen et al., 2009).
Digital content and word-of-mouth boost brand exposure, trust, and buyer engagement (Baldus et al., 2015; Islam and Rahman, 2016; Dessart et al., 2015). Brand engagement and likeability may rise with customer connectedness (Berger, 2013; Dessart et al., 2015; Hollebeek et al., 2014; Laroche et al.,2012; Lee et al.,2011; Morgan-Thomas et al., 2013; Nepomuceno et al., 2014; Wirtz et al., 2013).
Barari et al. (2020) presented functional, relational, and transformational engagement behavior in their meta-analysis. Transformational is customer- and firm-initiated, whereas functional is firm-initiated. In a functional approach, consumers want valued assets like money, and enterprises take advantage (e.g., encouraging customers). Customers co-create value in a relational way, creating engagement (engagement with brand). Technology drives consumer involvement in the transformative approach. Yet, the relational approach may strongly affect consumer engagement by recognizing consumers' voluntary resource contribution (e.g., knowledge, experience, and time) in their brand connection (Jaakkola & Alexander, 2014). The internet and new technologies have revolutionized consumer interaction and brought attention to the transformative level. Barari et al. (2020) also found various consumer engagement precursors. trust, dedication, and excellence. Second, adopting a consumer relational approach, Loureiro et al. (2017) identified brand involvement, online brand experience, and self-brand image congruency as online consumer brand engagement antecedents. Consumer interest in a brand based on their needs and beliefs is called brand participation (Zaichkowsky, 1985; De Vries and Carlson, 2014). Customers' brand interactions online (Gentile et al., 2007). Consumer self-concept and brand image congruency are called self-brand image congruency (Sirgy, 1982).