Zhong Yuan-Ji, Yang Jiang-Wei, Guo Wen-Hao, Wang Yong-Shun
School of Physical Education and Arts, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, China.
Department of Physical Education, Xiamen Institute of Technology, Xiamen, China.
Front Psychol. 2025 May 20;16:1501327. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1501327. eCollection 2025.
In an increasingly digitalized world, the impact of digital technology on sports consumption behavior is a pivotal area of study, particularly among college students who are highly engaged with digital platforms.
This study investigates how digital technology use shapes college students' sports consumption behavior, incorporating emotional experience as a mediator and symbolic perception as a moderator. Guided by the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework and Symbolic Consumption Theory (SCT), data from 861 Chinese college students (511 males and 350 females) were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).
Results reveal that digital technology use significantly enhances sports consumption, not only through a direct effect but also indirectly by improving emotional experience. Furthermore, symbolic perception amplifies the effect of emotional experience on consumption behavior. These findings highlight the dual psychological pathways through which technology influences sports-related decisions.
The study offers theoretical contributions by integrating emotional and symbolic mechanisms, and provides practical insights for sports marketers and educators aiming to engage college students in digital-era consumption.
在一个日益数字化的世界中，数字技术对体育消费行为的影响是一个关键的研究领域，尤其是在高度参与数字平台的大学生中。
本研究调查数字技术的使用如何塑造大学生的体育消费行为，将情感体验作为中介变量，将象征感知作为调节变量。在刺激-机体-反应（S-O-R）框架和符号消费理论（SCT）的指导下，使用结构方程模型（SEM）对861名中国大学生（511名男性和350名女性）的数据进行了分析。
结果表明，数字技术的使用不仅通过直接效应显著提高体育消费，还通过改善情感体验间接提高体育消费。此外，象征感知放大了情感体验对消费行为的影响。这些发现突出了技术影响与体育相关决策的双重心理途径。
该研究通过整合情感和符号机制做出了理论贡献，并为旨在让大学生参与数字时代消费的体育营销人员和教育工作者提供了实践见解。
