Environmental sustainability in the digital age: unraveling the effect of social media on green purchase intention
ISSN: 1747-3616
Article publication date: 27 August 2024
Issue publication date: 20 November 2024
Abstract
Purpose
The unethical use of natural resources is contributing to the increasing environmental degradation. The depleting environment poses a threat to the sustainability of present and future generations. This paper aims to investigate the impact of social media on the green purchase intention of consumers. The research adopts the theory of reciprocal determinism to integrate the variables of social media, green product knowledge, green consumption values and drive for environmental responsibility, assessing their collective impact on green purchase intention.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered from a sample of 310 young consumers using a structured close-ended questionnaire. The proposed hypothesis was tested by employing PLS-SEM.
Findings
The study validates that social media (SM) has the ability to shape consumers' intention to choose more eco-friendly products. In addition to social media, green consumption values and the drive for environmental responsibility exert a significant influence on green purchase intention. However, green product knowledge did not have a significant impact on green purchase intention nor did mediate the relationship between social media and green purchase intention.
Originality/value
The existing scholarly literature indicates that researchers have employed a variety of theories as the basis for their studies aimed at predicting intentions and behaviors related to environmentally conscious purchases. To our knowledge, this is the first study to incorporate social media in the theory of reciprocal determinism. Notably, the paper represents the inaugural investigation in the context of an emerging economy to incorporate green product knowledge as a mediating variable.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors extend their sincere gratitude to the reviewers and editors for their invaluable contributions to this work. Their thorough evaluations, insightful comments, and constructive suggestions have significantly enhanced the quality of this manuscript. They appreciate the time and effort they invested in the review process, which has been instrumental in refining our research. Thank you for their dedication to advancing scholarly excellence.
Citation
Nazish, M., Khan, M.N. and Khan, Z. (2024), "Environmental sustainability in the digital age: unraveling the effect of social media on green purchase intention", Young Consumers, Vol. 25 No. 6, pp. 1015-1035. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-01-2024-1965
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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