As emerging technologies evolve, the ways in which leadership can exert its influence are continually expanding. Within the digital environment, the impact of leaders’ impression management on employees remains an area of uncertainty. Drawing from the signaling theory and cognitive-affective processing system framework, this paper presents a model that examines how leaders’ online impression management behavior affects employees. This study used a multi-time survey to draw the following conclusions: leaders’ positive self-presentation on corporate social media affects employees’ psychological availability and team-based pride, and at the same time, leaders’ positive self-presentation on corporate social media influences employees’ affective commitment and felt obligations for constructive change, which is mediated by psychological availability and team-based pride. Additionally, leaders’ positive self-presentation on private social media positively moderates the direct effects of their self-presentation on corporate social media on employees’ both psychological availability and team-based pride, as well as the mediating effects of employees’ psychological availability and team-based pride. The findings offer a new perspective for understanding the operation of leadership in the digital age, holding significant theoretical and practical value.
