Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Does How and Who Matter in Encouraging Sustainable Behavior?: Focused on the Effect of Influencer Type and Content Modality

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Abstract

In recent years, the internet and social media have become major sources of information, even for sustainability. With social media acting as an instance of mass media, previous studies have shown that social media usage is associated with consumers’ purchasing behavior related to sustainable products. However, less is known about what aspects of sustainability-related posts on social media may be more effective in encouraging consumers’ sustainable behavior. Therefore, this study examines how who (influencer type) and how (the modality of the content) of the sustainability-related content may affect viewers' evaluation of an influencer and their sustainable-related behavioral intentions. A 2 (influencer type: micro x macro) x 2 (content modality: video x image) between-subject, an online experiment was conducted. A total of 177 usable data was collected through MTurk. The results showed the micro-influencer’s post was more effective in promoting sustainable practices compared to the macro-influencer’s post.

Keywords: Influencer, Sustainability, Social Media, Content modality

How to Cite:

Whang, C., Kim, D. & Huh, J., (2022) “Does How and Who Matter in Encouraging Sustainable Behavior?: Focused on the Effect of Influencer Type and Content Modality”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 79(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.15826