Digital Selves and Curated Choices: How Social Media Self-Presentation Enhances Consumers’ Experiential Consumption Preferences

Abstract

With the rise of e-commerce, mobile devices, and social media, consumers’ online social and shopping behaviors have become increasingly integrated, making social commerce a major force in the digital marketplace. In this context, consumer behaviors on social media can exert a profound influence on purchase decisions. This research investigates the impact of social media self-presentation, a key social behavior on social media, on consumers’ preference for experiential consumption. Drawing on one survey study and one experimental study, the findings reveal that social media self-presentation significantly predicts a stronger preference for experiential consumption (e.g., travel) over material consumption (e.g., tangible goods), with this effect being particularly salient among female participants. Furthermore, self-concept clarity mediates this relationship: both positive and authentic self-presentation enhance individuals’ clarity of self-concept, which in turn promotes a greater inclination toward experiential purchases. These findings highlight the key role of social media behavior in shaping consumer behaviors. The results offer important theoretical and practical insights into consumer decision-making in digital contexts and guide platform design and personalized recommendation systems.