Relationships between online social interaction, social exclusion, and self-esteem: moderating role of familiarity

Purpose Social interaction is an essential determinant of self-esteem. However, studies have rarely examined the psychological mechanisms underlying social interaction and self-esteem or variations in the relationship between these factors under different levels of familiarity between interactants. Therefore, the present study filled this research gap by investigating the relationships between online social interaction, social exclusion, self-esteem, and familiarity as well as the mediating effect of social exclusion and the moderation effect of familiarity on the relationship between social interaction and self-esteem. Design/methodology/approach We employed snowball sampling for conveniently and efficiently sampling a broad range of social media users to investigate how online social interaction affected their self-esteem through the mediating effect of social exclusion and the moderation effect of familiarity. Findings An analysis of 390 valid questionnaires indicated that online social interaction was positively related to self-esteem. Moreover, the results indicated that this relationship was mediated by social exclusion and moderated by familiarity. Originality/value We recommend that social media developers avoid including a “read” mark in their applications because such a mark can result in negative emotions, negative behaviors, and social problems in users.