Elaboration Likelihood Model in Green Consumption: The Role of Social Media in Shaping the Purchase Intentions of Generation Z in Indonesia
Abstract
Growing environmental concerns have intensified interest in sustainable consumption, particularly among Generation Z in emerging economies. While prior studies have examined green purchase intention and social media influence, limited research has integrated the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) with subjective norms within the Indonesian digital context, especially on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. This study addresses this theoretical gap by examining how green information sharing on social media influences green purchase intention through perceived green value and subjective norms. Using a quantitative explanatory design, data were collected from 300 Generation Z social media users in six major Indonesian cities. Structural Equation Modeling with Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) was employed to test the proposed hypotheses, including mediation and multi-group analysis based on employment status. The findings demonstrate that green information sharing significantly enhances green purchase intention both directly and indirectly through perceived green value and subjective norms. Subjective norms emerge as a stronger mediating mechanism, highlighting the importance of social influence in a collectivist cultural setting. Additionally, employment status moderates the relationship between subjective norms and purchase intention. The study contributes theoretically by extending ELM within the green consumption domain in a developing-country context and by integrating social influence mechanisms into digital green marketing communication. Practically, the results offer strategic insights for policymakers and marketers to design persuasive green campaigns that combine cognitive and social appeals.
Downloads
References
Achen, R. M., Stadler-Blank, A., & Sailors, J. J. (2024). I “Like” It: The Effects of Social Media Platform and Message on Consumer Engagement Actions. International Journal of Sport Communication, 17(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2023-0125
Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
Akbar, M., Sonni, A. F., Suhasman, S., Adawiyah, S. R., & Herald, Y. I. (2023). Correlation between Social Media Utilization and the Young Generation’s Online Shopping Behavior in Eastern Indonesia. Studies in Media and Communication, 11(7), 1. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v11i7.6223
Alfiandri, A., Prasojo, E., Salomo, R. V., & Wicaksono, A. (2024). Beyond Volatility: Harnessing VUCA Methodology for Sustainable Collaboration in Bintan Island’s Mangrove Ecotourism Governance. Danube, 15(2), 166–187.
BASABIH, M., PRASOJO, E. K. O., & RAHAYU, A. M. Y. Y. S. R. I. (2024). Analysing Public-private Partnership Practices for Haemodialysis Services using Collaborative Governance Framework: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research, 18(9).
biro perencanaan. (2024). laporan kinerja kementrian lingkungan hidup dan kehutanan 2024.
Breves, P., & Liebers, N. (2022). #Greenfluencing. The Impact of Parasocial Relationships with Social Media Influencers on Advertising Effectiveness and Followers’ Pro-environmental Intentions. Environmental Communication, 16(6), 773–787. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2022.2109708
Cao, D., Meadows, M., Wong, D., & Xia, S. (2021). Understanding consumers’ social media engagement behaviour: An examination of the moderation effect of social media context. Journal of Business Research, 122, 835–846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.06.025
Chang, H. H., Lu, Y.-Y., & Lin, S. C. (2020). An elaboration likelihood model of consumer respond action to facebook second-hand marketplace: Impulsiveness as a moderator. Information & Management, 57(2), 103171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2019.103171
Cheng, P., Wang, W., & Yang, S. (2024). Doing the right thing: How to persuade travelers to adopt pro-environmental behaviors? An elaboration likelihood model perspective. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 59, 191–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2024.04.009
Chwialkowska, A., Bhatti, W. A., Bujac, A., & Abid, S. (2024). An interplay of the consumption values and green behavior in developed markets: A sustainable development viewpoint. Sustainable Development, 32(4), 3771–3785. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2867
Cubillas‐Para, C., Tomaseti‐Solano, E., & Madrid‐Guijarro, A. (2024). How do the perception of the technological and symbolic dimensions and the social context affect the green consumer adoption process of eco‐innovations? Business Strategy and the Environment, 33(3), 2533–2545. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3614
Dr. Sadaf Hashmi, Amanveer Singh, Beemkumar Nagappan, Saumya Goyal, Dr. Dhruvin Chauhan, Deepak Minhas, & Dr. Sweta Kumari. (2024). Analysing the Correlation between Social Media Marketing and Consumer Purchase Behaviour. EVOLUTIONARY STUDIES IN IMAGINATIVE CULTURE, 673–682. https://doi.org/10.70082/esiculture.vi.1136
Flecha-Ortiz, J. A., Feliberty-Lugo, V., Santos-Corrada, M., Lopez, E., & Dones, V. (2023). Hedonic and Utilitarian Gratifications to the Use of TikTok by Generation Z and the Parasocial Relationships with Influencers as a Mediating Force to Purchase Intention. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 23(2), 114–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2023.2195403
Ghozali, I., & Latan, H. (2015). Partial least squares konsep, teknik dan aplikasi menggunakan program smartpls 3.0 untuk penelitian empiris. Semarang: Badan Penerbit UNDIP, 4(1), 35–46.
Hair Jr, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (1995). Multivariate data analysis with readings. Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Huo, H., Liu, Z., & Min, Q. (2021). Social media advertising reactance model: a theoretical review. Internet Research, 31(3), 822–845. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-02-2020-0072
Huwaida, L. A., Yusuf, A., Satria, A. N., Darmawan, M. A., Ammar, M. F., Yanuar, M. W., Hidayanto, A. N., & Yaiprasert, C. (2024). Generation Z and Indonesian Social Commerce: Unraveling key drivers of their shopping decisions. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 10(2), 100256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2024.100256
Korenkova, M., Maros, M., Levicky, M., & Fila, M. (2020). Consumer Perception of Modern and Traditional Forms of Advertising. Sustainability, 12(23), 9996. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239996
Kumar, A., & Pandey, M. (2023). Social Media and Impact of Altruistic Motivation, Egoistic Motivation, Subjective Norms, and EWOM toward Green Consumption Behavior: An Empirical Investigation. Sustainability, 15(5), 4222. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054222
Kumaradeepan, V. (2021). Social media advertising as strategy on consumer buying behaviour: conceptual paper. Journal of Management, 15(2), 30. https://doi.org/10.4038/jm.v15i2.7601
Kumari, R., Verma, R., Debata, B. R., & Ting, H. (2022). A systematic literature review on the enablers of green marketing adoption: Consumer perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 366, 132852. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132852
Li, F. (2025). Effects of consumers’ engagement in pro-environment activities on social media on green consumption behaviour. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 37(2), 403–421. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-09-2023-0862
Li, X., Wang, C., Li, D., Yang, D., Meng, F., & Huang, Y. (2024). Environmental Regulations, Green Marketing, and Consumers’ Green Product Purchasing Intention: Evidence from China. Sustainability, 16(20), 8987. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208987
Luo, X., Cheah, J.-H., Hollebeek, L. D., & Lim, X.-J. (2024). Boosting customers’ impulsive buying tendency in live-streaming commerce: The role of customer engagement and deal proneness. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 77, 103644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103644
Malik, K. J., & Prasojo, E. (2023). Determinant Factors in the Implementation of Merit System: An Overview of Indonesian Case. Asian Journal of Social and Humanities, 2(03), 665–675.
Mishra, D. (2024). Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Behaviour. INTERANTIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT, 08(04), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.55041/IJSREM32067
Mudasir Ahmad Tass, I. A. M. (2025). Driving Environmental Change: The Impact of Social Media on Gen Z’s Sustainability Efforts. South Eastern European Journal of Public Health, 623–641. https://doi.org/10.70135/seejph.vi.3639
Nasir, V. A., Keserel, A. C., Surgit, O. E., & Nalbant, M. (2021). Segmenting consumers based on social media advertising perceptions: How does purchase intention differ across segments? Telematics and Informatics, 64, 101687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2021.101687
Nazish, M., Khan, M. N., & Khan, Z. (2024). Environmental sustainability in the digital age: unraveling the effect of social media on green purchase intention. Young Consumers, 25(6), 1015–1035. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-01-2024-1965
Nekmahmud, M., Naz, F., Ramkissoon, H., & Fekete-Farkas, M. (2022). Transforming consumers’ intention to purchase green products: Role of social media. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 185, 122067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122067
Nepomuceno, M. V., Visconti, L. M., & Cenesizoglu, T. (2020). A model for investigating the impact of owned social media content on commercial performance and its application in large and mid-sized online communities. Journal of Marketing Management, 36(17–18), 1762–1804. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2020.1825112
Ng, P. M. L., Cheung, C. T. Y., Lit, K. K., Wan, C., & Choy, E. T. K. (2024). Green consumption and sustainable development: The effects of perceived values and motivation types on green purchase intention. Business Strategy and the Environment, 33(2), 1024–1039. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3535
Nurfadillah, R., Darari, F., Prasojo, R. E., & Amalia, Y. (2020). Benchmarking Explicit Rating Prediction Algorithms for Cosmetic Products. 2020 3rd International Seminar on Research of Information Technology and Intelligent Systems (ISRITI), 457–462.
P., R., & T., M. (2023). Influence of consumer motivations and perception on the adoption of smart, green, and sustainable building materials. Innovative Marketing, 19(4), 66–80. https://doi.org/10.21511/im.19(4).2023.06
Pittman, M., Oeldorf-Hirsch, A., & Brannan, A. (2022). Green Advertising on Social Media: Brand Authenticity Mediates the Effect of Different Appeals on Purchase Intent and Digital Engagement. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 43(1), 106–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641734.2021.1964655
Pop, R.-A., Dabija, D.-C., Pelău, C., & Dinu, V. (2022). Usage intentions, attitudes, and behaviors towards energy-efficient applications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 23(3), 668–689.
Pramana, R., & Prasojo, R. E. (2022). Improving Low-Resource Question Answering with Cross-Lingual Data Augmentation Strategies. 2022 10th International Conference on Information and Communication Technology (ICoICT), 110–115.
Rahmat, W., Tiawati, R. L., Kemal, E., Tatalia, R. G., Azri, H., & Wulandari, Y. (2023). How Do the Young People Picture Out Their Use, Activeness, and Connectivity on Social Media? A Discourse Analysis Approach. Journal of Communication Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1177/01968599231174848
Rizomyliotis, I., Lin, C. L., Konstantoulaki, K., & Phan, T. (2024). TikTok short video marketing and Gen Z’s purchase intention: evidence from the cosmetics industry in Singapore. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 18(4), 930–945. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-04-2023-0138
Roh, T., Seok, J., & Kim, Y. (2022). Unveiling ways to reach organic purchase: Green perceived value, perceived knowledge, attitude, subjective norm, and trust. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 67, 102988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.102988
Shaukat, M. H., Ramkissoon, H., & Hussain, S. (2021). The Role of Social Media Advertising Communities in Shaping Purchase Intention: A Multi Mediations Perspectives. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3913053
Sun, Y., & Xing, J. (2022). The Impact of Social Media Information Sharing on the Green Purchase Intention among Generation Z. Sustainability, 14(11), 6879. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116879
Syahiduz Zaman. (2024). Media Sosial, Katalis Baru untuk Praktik Hijau Generasi Z.
Toha, Mohamad & Supriyanto. (2023). Factors Influencing the Consumer Research Process: Market Target, Purchasing Behavior and Market Demand (Literature Review Of Consumer Behavior). Danadyaksa: Post Modern Economy Journal, 1(1), 1–17. Retrieved from https://e-journal.bustanul-ulum.id/in
Toha, Mohamad & Habibah, N.J. (2023). MSME Empowerment and Development Program to Increase Consumer Satisfaction. Sahwahita: Community Engagement Journal, 1(1), 26-39. https://e-journal.bustanul-ulum.id/index.php/Sahwahita/article/view/24
Ummar, R., Shaheen, K., Bashir, I., Ul Haq, J., & Bonn, M. A. (2023). Green Social Media Campaigns: Influencing Consumers’ Attitudes and Behaviors. Sustainability, 15(17), 12932. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712932
W, A. A., & . Rachman, V. (2024). Survey Jakpat, Literasi Keuangan Gen Z Masih Rendah. Swa.Co.Id. https://swa.co.id/read/447723/survey-jakpat-literasi-keuangan-gen-z-masih-rendah
Wang, G., Musa, R., & Kou, S. (2024). Research on the Green Purchase Intentions and Driving Factors of Generation Z in Developing Countries. Malaysian Journal of Consumer and Family Economics, 33(1), 62–92. https://doi.org/10.60016/majcafe.v33.03
Wang, X., Ming, M., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Are “people” or “animals” more attractive? Anthropomorphic images in green-product advertising. Journal of Cleaner Production, 276, 122719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122719
wearesocial. (2024). Digital 2024: 5 billion social media users. Wearesocial. https://wearesocial.com/id/blog/2024/01/digital-2024-5-billion-social-media-users/
Wibowo, A., Chen, S.-C., Wiangin, U., Ma, Y., & Ruangkanjanases, A. (2020). Customer Behavior as an Outcome of Social Media Marketing: The Role of Social Media Marketing Activity and Customer Experience. Sustainability, 13(1), 189. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010189
Wu, M., & Long, R. (2024). How does green communication promote the green consumption intention of social media users? Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 106, 107481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2024.107481
Xie, S., & Madni, G. R. (2023). Impact of Social Media on Young Generation’s Green Consumption Behavior through Subjective Norms and Perceived Green Value. Sustainability, 15(4), 3739. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043739
Zeng, J., & Abidin, C. (2021). ‘#OkBoomer, time to meet the Zoomers’: studying the memefication of intergenerational politics on TikTok. Information, Communication & Society, 24(16), 2459–2481. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1961007
Zhang, G. (2023). The Influence of Social Media Marketing on Consumers’ Behavior. Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences, 20(1), 119–124. https://doi.org/10.54254/2754-1169/20/20230181
Zhang, Z., & Han, Z. (2024). Exploring coevolution in the diffusion of green products between consumers and enterprises—An agent-based model of two-layer heterogeneous networks. Journal of Cleaner Production, 450, 141689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141689
Zhao, X., Zhu, Z., Shan, M., Cao, R., & Chen, H. (Allan). (2024). “Informers” or “entertainers”: The effect of social media influencers on consumers’ green consumption. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 77, 103647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103647
Zhou, Q., Sotiriadis, M., & Shen, S. (2023). Using TikTok in tourism destination choice: A young Chinese tourists’ perspective. Tourism Management Perspectives, 46, 101101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2023.101101
Zhuang, W., Luo, X., & Riaz, M. U. (2021). On the Factors Influencing Green Purchase Intention: A Meta-Analysis Approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.644020
Copyright (c) 2026 Eko Prasojo, Endarwati Endarwati
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
