Compulsive Social Media Use and Impulsive Buying: Social Capital in the Postpandemic Era

Social media platforms serve as key communication channels that facilitate connections among friends, family, and acquaintances, and provide significant advantages to individuals and companies. However, the compulsive habits of social media use-driven by the acquisition of social capital-require further academic research due to their potential various behavioral consequences. This study examines how different dimensions of social capital, particularly bonding and bridging social capital, result in compulsive social media use, which in turn leads to impulsive buying behaviors. Findings indicate that attaining online social capital strengthens compulsive social media use, with bonding social capital exerting a more pronounced effect than bridging social capital. Furthermore, individuals with compulsive social media use habits are more inclined toward impulsive buying, particularly if they possess high impulsive buying tendencies and engage in unverified news sharing. Interestingly, peer influence has been observed to mitigate compulsive behaviors.