Communicative Efficacy of the App

What it measures

A four-item scale measuring the perceived effectiveness of a mobile app as a communication tool for expressing one's identity, tastes, and interests to others. Items assess whether using the app is effective for self-expression, conveys personal tastes to others, communicates what one is interested in, and allows sharing of important things about oneself. Developed for research on social identity signalling through app usage and social media, the scale captures the communicative utility of a digital tool for self-presentation.

Response format

7-point Likert

Scale items

• Using this app is effective for expressing who I am.
• Using this app effectively conveys my personal tastes to others.
• Using this app communicates what I am interested in.
• Using this app allows me to share important things about myself.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Single alpha: α = .95 — Grewal, Stephen & Coleman (2019, Study 5; n = 148 MTurk). VALIDITY: Not reported. Scale appears original to the authors. Items reference 'this app' and require a specific app to be identified to participants before administration.

Citation

Grewal, Lauren, Andrew T. Stephen, and Nicki Vicki Coleman (2019). When posting about products on social media backfires: The negative effects of consumer identity signaling on product interest. Journal of Marketing Research, 56(2), 197–210.

Keywords