Exploring the impact of social networking sites on running involvement, running behavior, and social life satisfaction Joseph E. Mahan III a , Won Jae Seo b, *, Jeremy S. Jordan a , Daniel Funk a a Temple University, United States b Eulji University, South Korea 1. Introduction Due to ever-evolving advances in communication technology, social media have become exceedingly popular (Acar, 2008; Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Of social media platforms, social networking sites (SNS) appear to be among the most widely adopted. The result has been a dramatic increase in the number of users, many of whom have integrated SNS into their daily practices (boyd & Ellison, 2008). Indeed, 64% (174 million) of Internet users in North America reported using Facebook during the last quarter of 2011; Twitter (39%; 105 million) and LinkedIn (15%; 40 million) also demonstrated high levels of popularity (Internet World Stats, 2012). Some scholars have put forth that new media forms have the capacity to reshape the lives of individuals in such areas as work, social relationships, and leisure (e.g., Leung & Lee, 2005). Extant research found that social media—especially SNS— have the potential to foster user engagement in certain activities such as politics, music, shopping, and entertainment (Mangold & Faulds, 2009; Valenzuela, Park, & Kee, 2009). Other studies have indicated that the use of SNS has a positive effect on psychological well-being, including overall life satisfaction as well as satisfaction in specific domains (e.g., social life) (Leung & Lee, 2005; Valkenburg, Peter, & Schouten, 2006). While the SNS phenomenon has drawn attention from academics and practitioners alike, there is still much unknown as to its potential role in certain aspects of life such as physical activity. Sport Management Review 18 (2015) 182–192 A R T I C L E I N F O Article history: Received 6 September 2013 Received in revised form 22 February 2014 Accepted 22 February 2014 Available online 1 April 2014 Keywords: Social networking sites Running Involvement A B S T R A C T Social networking sites (SNS) are often shown to be influential in developing activity engagement as well as psychological well-being, but empirical evidence is scarce as to their effectiveness in a sport context. The current study examined the potential for SNS use to mediate the effects of physical activity involvement on (1) the level of regular exercise behavior, and (2) social life satisfaction. Results of an online survey (n = 3476) indicated that the influence of running involvement on both running behavior and social life satisfaction are partially mediated by use of running-related SNS. This general finding is reflective of the effects of social media in a specific sport context. Thus, this study demonstrates the theoretical potential for running-related social media to serve as an engagement platform that can augment the influence of involvement on the physical and mental benefits of participation in running. ß 2014 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author at: Eulji University, 553 Sanseong-Daero, Sujeong-Gu, Seongnam-Si, Gyeonggi-Do 461-713, South Korea. Tel.: +82 31 740 7106 7. E-mail address: wonjaeseo@eulji.ac.kr (W.J. Seo). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Sport Management Review jo u rn al h om ep age: w ww.els evier.c o m/lo c ate/s mr http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2014.02.006 1441-3523/ß 2014 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.