Relationship maintenance in WeChat moments: navigating social anxiety and the desire for belongingness.

In the modern digital era, WeChat has risen as a key platform for social engagement and relationship building, extending beyond its initial role as an instant messaging app. Despite numerous studies exploring various psychological aspects, such as social anxiety and belongingness, in relation to WeChat users' liking behavior, a dearth of research exists in establishing a comprehensive framework for thorough investigation. To gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, this study is rooted in the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Uses and Gratifications Theory, constructing a research framework to examine how social anxiety and belongingness influence the interactive behavior of WeChat users within the "Moments" feature. The analysis of 345 valid questionnaires led to the following conclusions: heightened user belongingness encourages increased engagement, particularly expressed through actions like liking posts in WeChat Moments, while elevated social anxiety may impede such behaviors. These motivations and subsequent actions not only reflect the intricate psychological dynamics of users in virtual social interactions but also reveal prevalent patterns of online relationship maintenance in the current digital landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]