Symbolic Consumption, Self-Construction, and the Cultivation Path of Generation Z's Green Consumption Intention in Social Media
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63808/smp.v2i3.330Keywords:
symbolic consumption, green consumption intention, self-construction, cultivation theory, Generation Z, social mediaAbstract
Generation Z consumers exhibit a pronounced intention to engage in sustainable consumption; 73% of this cohort are willing to pay extra for green products, and 85% report strong environmental concern. Nonetheless, only 31% of the group can sustain the behavioral pattern of green consumption over time. This intention-behavior gap is an important puzzle that is not explained well in the traditional attitude-intention models assuming the linear predictability of intentions via the strength of attitudes. Particularly, in the context of social media, such puzzles are especially pressing since green consumption practices become increasingly symbolic and expressive of identity formation processes rather than ecologically-driven choices. Therefore, the current paper attempts to address the issue from the standpoint of an integrative perspective based on the systematic integration of symbolic consumption theory, self-construction theory, and cultivation theory. The proposed analysis is primarily theoretical in nature. The model implies three significant relationships: social media usage plays a role in the activation of symbolic motivation; self-construction fully mediates the effect of symbolic consumption motivation on sustained green consumption intention through identity-related psychological mechanisms rather than directly; and such mediation occurs in a cumulative manner through three consecutive cultivation steps of symbolic cognition, identity alignment, and value internalization. In this model, sustained intention is understood differently from intention strength as a quality characteristic marked by consistency, stability, and self-referentiality. The current paper is novel in its attempt to bridge symbolic consumption and green consumption literatures, introduce the concept of self-construction into sustainable consumption research, and develop a process-based research agenda centered around intention quality rather than intention strength as the core variable of interest.
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