Black Audiences’ Identity-Focused Social Media Use, Group Vitality, and Consideration of Collective Action

Black individuals use social media at higher rates than their racial counterparts, and these relationships often promote favorable group-based outcomes. However, quantitative examinations of these relationships are lacking. Using a cross-sectional U.S. Black adult sample (N = 295) and applying social identity gratifications, the present work examines individuals’ social media use, racial adherence, perceptions of group vitality, and motivations toward collective action. Results suggest that racial adherence positively mediates the relationship between identity-focused social media use and perceptions of group vitality. Moreover, this relationship is positively related to individuals’ motivations to engage in collective action on behalf of Black communities.