Study Notes on Social Media and Materialism Effects

Research Overview

• Study Title: "The Dark Side of Social Media: Content Effects on the Relationship Between Materialism and Consumption Behaviors"

• Authors: Alfonso Pellegrino, Masato Abe, Randall Shannon

• Published in Frontiers in Psychology on 28 April 2022

• Focus on negative effects of social media on consumption behaviors among users

Study Objectives

• Investigate the impact of materialism on compulsive, conspicuous, and impulsive buying behaviors via mediators:

  • Attitudes toward social media content (SCM)

  • Social media intensity (SMI)

Methodology

• Sample Size: 400 Thai social media users

• Analysis Method: Structural equation modeling

Key Findings

• Confirmed positive relationships between materialism and negative consumption behaviors:

  • Compulsive buying

  • Conspicuous buying

  • Impulsive buying

• SMI is a strong predictor and significant mediator between materialism and these behaviors.

• Attitudes toward social media content were often not significant in predicting negative behaviors.

Concepts

• Materialism: Seen as a personality trait affecting attitudes and social media usage rather than a consequence of advertisement exposure.

• Social Media Intensity (SMI): Defines user engagement; higher intensity linked to increased compulsive and impulsive buying.

• Attitudes Toward SCM: Users with positive attitudes were expected to buy more but found less predictive in this context.

Implications

• The study suggests potential regulations needed from social media platforms to protect consumers against harmful consumption behaviors.

Future Research Directions

• Explore materialism and consumption behaviors in different contexts or demographic groups.

• Investigate specific categories or types of products for their effects on consumption patterns.