Unlocking the power of ephemeral content: The roles of motivations, gratification, need for closure, and engagement

Abstract

The use of ephemeral content – a time-limited feature and function of social media – has been rising rapidly and is the latest marketing and social media buzzword. With insufficient academic research, however, the motivations for using ephemeral content and its influences on user engagement remain unclear. Building on the extant literature, this study aims to delve into the power of ephemeral content by identifying its antecedents and consequences in users` decision-making processes. Data from an online questionnaire (N = 303) demonstrated that users adopted ephemeral content based on motivations such as fear of missing out, trust, immediacy, and social pressure to obtain gratification. The results also showed that users` gratification influenced their engagement with ephemeral content and mediated the relationships between motivations and engagement. Most importantly, need for closure moderated the indirect effects of motivations on engagement through gratification. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.