Unveiling the Influence of Social Comparison in User Engagement in Online Chat Groups for Check-ins

This paper investigates the role of social comparison in online chat groups for check-ins (OCGCs), specialized digital environments where users engage in self-regulation practices by posting goal-related check-in messages. Drawing on social comparison theory in interpersonal communication, we identify two IT-enabled communication patterns in OCGCs—the Reporting Pattern (RP) and the Non-Reporting Pattern (NRP)— and classify users’ social comparison perceptions into horizontal and vertical dimensions based on these patterns. Using a secondary dataset from a large-scale real-world OCGC context, our analysis reveals that horizontal comparison triggered by RP enhances user engagement by fostering a sense of solidarity, whereas vertical comparison triggered by NRP reduces engagement by evoking status-based evaluations. These findings offer new insights into the nuanced impact of technology-mediated social comparison in self-regulation communities and provide practical implications for OCGCs operators as well as businesses aiming to design more engaging online communities.