Conspicuous food consumption of Gen Z and social media use

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the relationship between respondents' propensity to conspicuous consumption and an autonomous element like the use of social media platforms by respondents, in conjunction with established factors influencing conspicuous consumption reported in the literature. The study focuses on Generation Z as the research population and on food and beverages as the product category under study. The study was conducted on a sample of 246 Generation Z respondents via a questionnaire survey, using a set of statements derived from the literature focusing on conspicuous and status consumption and statements related to food and beverage consumption. The collected data were analyzed using factor and regression analyses. Although the study did not confirm a statistically significant relationship between the nature of social media use and respondents' propensity to conspicuous consumption, the findings suggest that respondents are susceptible to the influence of social media and influencers.