Liao Chi-Horng
Bachelor Program in Digital Media and Technology, Tzu Chi University, Hualien City, Taiwan.
Media Production and Education Center, Tzu Chi University, Hualien City, Taiwan.
Front Psychol. 2024 Jul 31;15:1445549. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1445549. eCollection 2024.
This study investigates the impact of social media on pro-environmental behavior (PEB) through the lenses of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Social Impact Theory. The research aims to elucidate how social media influences Environmental Attitude (EA) and Subjective Norms (SN), and how these factors contribute to Behavioral Intentions (BI) that ultimately affect PEB. Additionally, it examines the moderating effect of Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) on the relationship between BI and PEB.
To explore these relationships, the study employs a dual methodological approach using Variance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (VBSEM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). Data were collected from two distinct samples: 1200 participants from Taiwan for the SEM analysis and 602 respondents for the ANN study. SEM was utilized to explore causal relationships, while ANN was employed to enhance predictive accuracy.
The SEM analysis reveals that social media significantly affects both EA and SN, except for Social Networking Site Involvement (SNSI), which does not significantly impact EA. Additionally, the findings indicate that BI mediates the relationship between EA and PEB. However, BI does not mediate the SN-PEB relationship, and the link between SN and BI is found to be non-significant. Empirical evidence also suggests that PBC moderates the BI-PEB relationship, with a stronger influence observed under higher levels of PBC and a weaker influence under lower levels.
These results underscore the complex dynamics between social media factors and pro-environmental behavior. The study concludes that while social media plays a significant role in shaping EA and SN, its impact on EA is not mediated by SNSI. Furthermore, PBC significantly moderates the BI-PEB relationship, highlighting its critical role in PEB. The discussion addresses the implications of these findings, acknowledges the limitations encountered, and suggests potential avenues for future research.
本研究通过计划行为理论（TPB）和社会影响理论的视角，调查社交媒体对亲环境行为（PEB）的影响。该研究旨在阐明社交媒体如何影响环境态度（EA）和主观规范（SN），以及这些因素如何促成最终影响亲环境行为的行为意图（BI）。此外，研究还考察了感知行为控制（PBC）对行为意图与亲环境行为之间关系的调节作用。
为探究这些关系，本研究采用了基于方差的结构方程模型（VBSEM）和人工神经网络（ANN）的双重方法。数据从两个不同样本中收集：1200名来自台湾的参与者用于结构方程模型分析，602名受访者用于人工神经网络研究。结构方程模型用于探究因果关系，而人工神经网络则用于提高预测准确性。
结构方程模型分析表明，社交媒体对环境态度和主观规范均有显著影响，但社交网站参与度（SNSI）除外，它对环境态度没有显著影响。此外，研究结果表明，行为意图在环境态度和亲环境行为之间起中介作用。然而，行为意图并未在主观规范与亲环境行为的关系中起中介作用，且主观规范与行为意图之间的联系不显著。实证证据还表明，感知行为控制调节了行为意图与亲环境行为之间的关系，在较高水平的感知行为控制下影响更强，在较低水平下影响较弱。
这些结果凸显了社交媒体因素与亲环境行为之间复杂的动态关系。研究得出结论，虽然社交媒体在塑造环境态度和主观规范方面发挥了重要作用，但其对环境态度的影响并非由社交网站参与度介导。此外，感知行为控制显著调节了行为意图与亲环境行为之间的关系，凸显了其在亲环境行为中的关键作用。讨论部分阐述了这些发现的意义，承认了所遇到的局限性，并提出了未来研究的潜在方向。
