Social Media Usage Intensity: Impact Assessment on Buyers’ Behavioural Traits

With increasing proliferation of social media, there is an urgent need to examine how people engage in the social media as well as assess its role in shaping consumers' attitude and behaviour. Though the recent years have witnessed the interest of researchers in this regard, the studies have mostly been confined to analyzing the social media utilization patterns for their impact on online purchases and less emphasis has been laid on investigating its impact on the 'down side' of consumer behaviour as reflected through traits of materialism, impulse buying and conspicuous consumption. The present work makes an attempt to bridge this gap. Specifically, the study examines the influence of social media usage intensity on three behavioural traits as well as assesses the mediating role of electronic word-of-mouth in affecting this linkage. The paper also provides insights with respect to variation in the use intensity and behavioural traits across demographic components. Inputs from the present research can be used by marketers to not only leverage the power of social media and capture the changing consumer traits in favour of their brand but also to develop targeted and effective strategies to engage with their audience on this new platform.