Abstract
Research have revealed that consumers increasingly rely on information accessed through social networking sites as a guide for planning their future purchases. Furthermore, social networking sites content has been found to induce compulsive, conspicuous and impulse buying behaviors which are associated with overconsumption, economical, social and environmental issues. Social networking sites increase user’s self-esteem which leads to low self-control eventually leading to irrational and unsustainable consumption behaviors. As social networking sites have become ubiquitous and they are having a big impact on people’s lifestyle and overall on the planet, this research attempted to examine the relationship between materialism and unsustainable consumption behaviors over social networking sites users. The researchers looked at the results of the literature on materialism in social networking sites as well as three unsustainable behaviors: compulsive, conspicuous, and impulse-buying behavior. To discuss the problem and draw recommendations for policymakers and academics interested in the drafting of a possible research agenda, the authors conducted a systematic review of the literature. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) approach led the analysis, which was visualized using bibliometric mapping software (VOSViewer) based on peer reviewed journal articles present in the Scopus database. The findings revealed that there have been few research on materialism and its negative impact on consumption among social networking sites users. The paper concludes with a list of subjects that can be further investigated for future studies.
Highlights
Consumers' unsustainable consumption patterns are often blamed on materialism [1,2,3]
By analyzing the literature published during the past decade, it was observed that the exponential increase in scholarly production on social networking sites, materialism, and unsustainable consumer behaviour might be due to the increasingly widespread introduction of social networking sites and the diffusion of digital marketing, which have fundamentally impacted consumer behaviours [72]
The purpose of this bibliometric review is to track the role played by social media in relation to materialism and users’ consumption behaviors within the existing literature
Summary
Consumers' unsustainable consumption patterns are often blamed on materialism [1,2,3]. Social networking sites influence consumer behaviour in multiple respects. Digital shopping has evolved from shopping on websites to purchasing directly through social networking sites. Customers' feedback, social group suggestions, referrals, and ratings contribute to enhanced digital purchase engagement on social networking sites. Users can communicate and share knowledge within their peer network because of the rise in popularity of social networking sites [4]. Social networking sites users rely on a virtual community continuously sharing information. This is one type of social proof valuable and effective at increasing consumer trust [5]. While on social networking sites, users search for information and feedback before making any potential purchases, making reviews and users' comments a valuable source of information [4, 6]. According to the Global Web Index in 2020, 54% of active users have used social networking sites to research products
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