Mobile CSR activities in crises: An examination of gratifications, CSR motives, social media use on mobile devices, and relationship outcomes

As social media use on mobile devices have been integrated in many people’s daily lives, corporations began to target the publics on corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities on mobile devices. In the context of the Harvey Hurricane disaster and corporate CSR activities associated with disaster relief, this study examined the relationships among gratifications, social media engagement on mobile devices, CSR motives, and the relationship outcomes. An online survey was conducted in the United States, using a nationally representative adult sample (n = 1,433). Our results showed that gratifications for technological convenience (accessibility), information exchange (cognition needs), and social interaction (recognition needs) significantly predicted relationship outcomes. The results also demonstrated that CSR motives and social media engagement on mobile devices were significantly related to relationship outcomes. These findings well demonstrated the important role of mobile-based communication in engaging the publics in cultivating relationships through CSR activities in a natural crisis. Theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.