Not All Fans Engage Alike: AHP-Based Motivational Priorities and Incentive Factors Across Football Fan Social Media Engagement Groups
International Journal of Sport Culture and Science, cilt.14, sa.3, ss.248-268, 2026 (Hakemli Dergi)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 14 Sayı: 3
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Dergi Adı: International Journal of Sport Culture and Science
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: SportDiscus
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.248-268
- Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Participation in online communities is structurally uneven, and professional football clubs'
social media audiences are no exception. This study examines whether participation level can
serve as a meaningful organizing principle for understanding fan engagement. Using data from
512 Turkish football fans, participants were classified into Lurker, Observer, and Poster groups
based on actual interaction behavior. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to
determine how each group prioritizes four motivational dimensions (information, observation,
entertainment, and belonging), and five single-item incentive measures examined conditions
that would shift participation levels. Lurkers prioritized information, observers prioritized
observation, and posters prioritized belonging, with significant between-group differences
across all motivational factors. Safe environment and exclusive content were most salient for
lurkers, while acknowledgment and voice mattered most for posters. These findings validate
the Lurker/Observer/Poster typology in identity-laden contexts and demonstrate that
participation stratification reflects qualitatively distinct psychological logics corresponding to
each group's motivational profile.
Keywords: Online participation, football fans, analytic hierarchy process, uses and gratifications,
engagement typology.