
The Moderating Role of Social Media Use on Paid Knowledge Consumption Intention in China: A Generation Z Perspective
- 1 Sichuan Fine Arts Institute
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
With social media becoming a dominant platform, its use is frequently explored as a variable in various research contexts. Generation Z, being the digital natives, is deeply connected to social media, which has a considerable influence on their behaviors. This study examines Paid Knowledge Consumption (PKC), an emerging method of acquiring knowledge, and applies the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to assess whether social media usage moderates Generation Z’s intention toward PKC. Specifically, the study investigates the moderating role of social media use in the relationships between attitude, social norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention to engage in PKC. Data were collected from a sample of 211 Generation Z respondents using a quantitative research approach. Regression and moderation analyses were conducted after confirming model fit indices and Cronbach's alpha reliability. The regression analysis indicated that attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control significantly influenced PKC intention. However, the moderation analysis revealed that social media usage did not significantly moderate the relationship between the independent variables (attitude, social norms, perceived behavioral control) and PKC intention. These findings suggest that social media use does not affect Generation Z's intention to engage in PKC through its influence on these key factors.
Keywords
Theory of Planned Behavior, Paid Knowledge Consumption, Social Media Use, Moderation
[1]. CBNData. 2020 Generation Z Consumer Attitudes Insight Report. CBNData, 2020.
[2]. Su, L., Li, Y., Li, W. Understanding Consumers’ Purchase Intention for Online Paid Knowledge: A Customer Value Perspective. Sustainability, 2019, 11, 5420.
[3]. Zhang, J., Zhang, J.L., Zhang, M. From free to paid: Customer expertise and customer satisfaction on knowledge payment platforms, Decision Support Systems, 2019.
[4]. Król, K., Zdonek, D. Social media use and its impact on intrinsic motivation in Generation Z: a case study from Poland, Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, 2021.
[5]. Noguti, V., Waller, D. S. Motivations to use social media: effects on the perceived informativeness, entertainment, and intrusiveness of paid mobile advertising. Journal of Marketing Management, 2020.
[6]. Prasad, S., Gupta, I.C. Totala, N.K. Social media usage, electronic word of mouth and purchase-decision involvement, Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 2017.
[7]. Ajzen, I. The theory of planned behaviour: Reactions and reflections. Psychology & Health, 2011, 26(9), 1113-1127.
[8]. Kamalanon, P, Chen, J.S., Le, T.T.Y. Why Do We Buy Green Products? An Extended Theory of the Planned Behavior Model for Green Product Purchase Behavior. Sustainability, 2022.
[9]. Baron, R. M., Kenny, D. A. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of personality and social psychology, 1986, 51(6), 1173.
[10]. Jing, J., Lu, C. A study on factors affecting Chinese users' willing to pay for online paid knowledge contents: focusing on theory of planned behavior. Journal of Digital Convergence, 2020, 18(2), 151-162.
[11]. Xu, A., Li, W., Chen, Z., Zeng, S., Carlos, L.A., Zhu, Y. A Study of Young Chinese Intentions to Purchase “Online Paid Knowledge”: An Extended Technological Acceptance Model. Frontiers in Psychology. 2021, 12:695600.
Cite this article
Zhu,M. (2024). The Moderating Role of Social Media Use on Paid Knowledge Consumption Intention in China: A Generation Z Perspective. Communications in Humanities Research,61,31-38.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Disclaimer/Publisher's Note
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
About volume
Volume title: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Literature, Language, and Culture Development
© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who
publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series 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
series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series'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 series.
3. 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 (See
Open access policy for details).