What makes us click “like” on Facebook? Examining psychological, technological, and motivational factors on virtual endorsement

•Enjoyment and interpersonal relationship as most salient motives.•Those with higher self-esteem, more diligence, more emotional stability, and less subjective norm clicked “like” to express enjoyment.•Those with lower self-esteem, less diligence, less emotional stability, and higher subjective norm clicked “like” for pleasing others.•Enjoyment, interpersonal relationship, and perceived ease of “like” positively predicted the attitude toward “like.”•Subjective norm and the passing time motive positively predicted clicking “like.” The pleasing others motivation negatively predicted “like” behavior. This study examines motives for virtually endorsing others on social media, focusing on the Facebook “like” function. Motives are studied in terms of uses and gratifications, Theory of Reasoned Action, and personality and technology factors. Data from an online survey of 213 respondents were examined using factor- and hierarchical-regression analyses. Findings showed enjoyment and interpersonal relationship as most salient motives. Two types of user profiles emerged. Those with higher self-esteem, more diligence, more emotional stability, and less subjective norm clicked “like” to express enjoyment. Those with lower self-esteem, less diligence, less emotional stability, and higher subjective norm clicked “like” for pleasing others.