The Effect of Consumption Expression Behavior through Social Media on Sustainable Consumption: Mediating Effects of Social Connectedness

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of consumer consumption behavior on sustainable consumption through social media and to verify the mediating effects of social connectedness on sustainable consumption. A survey comprising 222 men and women in their 20s and 30s was conducted in which their consumption expression behavior, sustainable consumption and social connectedness were measured. The results were analyzed using SPSS Process Macro Model 4 and it was found that consumers who shared a considerable amount of personal information on their lifestyle on social media as a means of self-expression exhibited a higher level of sustainable consumption. It also became apparent that the degree of consumption expression behavior had a positive effect on social connectedness and that social connectedness had a positive impact on sustainable consumption by mediating the degree of consumption-focused self-expression on social media. Based on these results, it was confirmed that social media can serve as a mechanism to lead consumers’ consumption behavior beyond providing a basis for forming a human network. Implications for the impact of social media on consumption behavior were presented, and proposals for exploring the environment in which sustainable consumption can be activated were suggested, together with ways in which new media can be utilized. The findings from this study indicate that sharing consumption behavior and having a broad range of connections on social media can create an environment in which sustainable consumption is promoted.