AUTHOR=Chen Si , Zhi Kuiyun , Chen Yongjin 

TITLE=How active and passive social media use affects impulse buying in Chinese college students? The roles of emotional responses, gender, materialism and self-control

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1011337

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1011337

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Social media and social commerce play a vital role in consumers’ purchasing decision making. This study explored the mediation and moderation effects in the relationship between different social media usage patterns, emotional responses, and consumer impulse buying. Data from 479 college students who were social media users in China were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that active and passive social media use were significantly and positively associated with users’ enjoyment, whereas passive social media use significantly increased depression. Both enjoyment and depression were significantly and positively associated with users’ impulse buying. Materialism positively moderated the relationship between enjoyment and impulsive consumption, while self-control significantly reduced the effect of depression on impulse buying. This study provides insights that could help guide and intervene in college students’ healthy use of social media and rational consumption.