(A) study on the effect of discrepancy of online and offline identities on pro-environmental behavioral consistency motives

Abstract

Online social media has allowed for the active communication of people worldwide and the rapid spread of awareness on various social issues like climate change. While it may seem that people are more connected and committed to those matters, some have criticized that online social actions deliver little meaningful impact. The focus of the present research is to analyze the conditions in which people act in a consistent matter both online and offline. In particular, depending on how disconnected people’s online and offline identities are, they will either intend to act consistent or inconsistent. Through one study it was confirmed that people who construe their online and offline selves differently, in other words, have different identities, their online and offline actions are less likely to be consistent. This inconsistency was attenuated by tying those identities through a common relatable issue that lowers psychological distance towards a target.