Author(s)

Wenjing Guo, Hong Jin

Corresponding Author

Hong Jin

Abstract

The concept of quantified self is deeply integrated into various facets of consumer life, offering both convenience and enjoyment while encouraging users to focus on their own well-being and optimize personal behavior. This, in turn, cultivates Quantified-Self Consciousness (QSC) among users. Despite its ubiquity, existing research on the definition of QSC and its impact on online user engagement remains incomplete, leaving businesses without a comprehensive understanding of user behavior in the context of quantified-self actions. Leveraging self-concept theory, this study employs both surveys and scenario-based experiments to explore the mechanisms through which QSC influences user engagement. Remarkably, we introduce circle characteristic as a moderating variable, which not only extends the applicability of circle characteristic in online user behavior studies but also provides businesses with insightful and culturally nuanced managerial guidance.

Keywords

Quantified-self consciousness, User engagement, Online behavior, Circle characteristic, Arousal