The Relationship Between Flight Attendants' Personal Branding on Social Media and Levels of Engagement and Perceptions of Professionalism

Abstract

The way individuals build their self-image on social media has changed along with the development of social media. Currently, some flight attendants often post content related to their work or profession as flight attendants; however, some of the content they upload is spontaneous and not yet supported by a clear personal branding strategy. The aims of this research are (1) to examine the influence of flight attendants' personal branding on social media on audience engagement levels and flight attendant professionalism (2) to examine the role of engagement in explaining the relationship between personal branding and flight attendant professionalism on social media (3) to identify flight attendants' personal branding strategies on social media in building a professional image and increasing social media engagement. Sampling was conducted using a combination of purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques. The data source was primary data obtained through direct interviews with flight attendants using in-depth interview methods and online questionnaires distributed to 180 respondents. The study employed descriptive analysis and PLS-SEM analysis. The descriptive analysis results indicate that the variables of personal branding, audience engagement levels, and perceptions of professionalism fall into the high category. The PLS-SEM analysis results show that personal branding has a positive and significant effect on perceptions of professionalism and audience engagement levels; engagement has a positive and significant effect on perceptions of professionalism; and personal branding has a positive and significant indirect effect on perceptions of professionalism through audience engagement levels. The managerial implications are that flight attendants need to develop a clear and directed digital identity concept, upload content about work activities and flight experiences to educate their audience, and build two-way communication on social media by replying to comments and responding to messages. Airlines need to establish policies in the form of guidelines regarding digital ethics, permissible content types, and limitations on social media use to protect the company's image and support employee personal branding. Training related to digital personal branding for flight attendants is necessary to enhance their ability to build self-image and the company's reputation.