Social Media Drives Sustainable Food Consumption in Generation Z

Abstract

This research investigates how social media marketing activities (SMMAs) influence sustainable food consumption behavior of consumers from Generation Z in restaurant industry. This research explores direct impact of SMMAs (i.e., customization, trendiness, informativeness, interaction, and word of mouth) on consumer sustainable consciousness and mediating role of consumer sustainability consciousness in fostering sustainable purchase intention which is based on Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Stimulus Organism Response (SOR) framework. Data were collected from 633 Generation Z respondents through an online survey and analyzed using the PLS-SEM technique. The results reveal that all dimensions of SMMAs significantly influence consumer sustainability consciousness, which in turn positively influences sustainable purchase intention and subsequently drives sustainable food consumption behavior. By integrating S-O-R with TPB, this study extends prior research by explaining how social media stimuli shape sustainability consciousness and strengthen the attitude–intention–behavior link, offering deeper insights into sustainable consumption among young consumers.