Yunshi Wang

Yunshi Wang

Oct. 30, 2026

Social media, Emotional drive, Brand loyalty, Psychological contract.

The purpose of this article is to explore how emotional factors as the core driving force contribute to the formation and solidification of consumer brand loyalty in the digital social ecology. The study combed the internal mechanism from emotional trigger to behavior transformation. The analysis shows that the emotion generation in social media field depends on the synergy of brand narrative, interactive situation and value resonance, and the group is strengthened through circle diffusion. Emotional commitment and psychological contract are the core ties connecting users' emotions and long-term relationships. Identity and sense of belonging to the community further strengthen this connection, allowing individuals to internalize the brand as a part of self-expression. Positive emotions are transformed into stable behaviors such as repeated purchase, active recommendation and exclusive preference by accumulating trust, internalizing norms and enhancing crisis tolerance. Brand competition in the digital age has gone beyond the product function level and turned to deep emotional management and relationship maintenance. Building a sincere and infectious emotional connection can be regarded as one of the key paths to realize the long-term improvement of user stickiness and the continuous appreciation of brand equity.

© 2026, the Authors. Published by ISCCAC

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license