THE INFLUENCE OF SHARED IDENTITY AND DIGITAL RECOGNITION ON VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT IN DIGITAL CREATIVE COMMUNITIES

Abstract

This study analyzes the influence of shared identity and digital recognition on volunteer engagement within digital creative communities, encompassing graphic design, photography, videography/content creation, and illustration/digital art. Using a quantitative survey method, questionnaires were distributed to 100 active members of digital creative communities, and data were analyzed using multiple linear regression with SPSS. The results show that shared identity has a positive and significant effect on volunteer engagement (β = 0.521; t = 4.752; p = 0.000), and digital recognition also has a positive and significant effect on volunteer engagement (β = 0.379; t = 3.452; p = 0.001). Simultaneously, both variables significantly affect volunteer engagement (F = 160.162; p = 0.000), explaining 76.8% of its variance (R² = 0.768; Adjusted R² = 0.763), while the remaining 23.2% is explained by other factors outside this research model. Shared identity was found to contribute a more dominant influence than digital recognition. These findings indicate that both a sense of shared identity and the digital recognition received by members play an important role in driving volunteer engagement, with shared identity emerging as the most influential factor. The practical implication is that digital creative community managers should strengthen collective identity and belonging among members while continuing to optimize digital recognition systems, such as badges, featured content, or public appreciation, to enhance participation and volunteer engagement.