Digitally mediated consumer boycotts in transnational food risk controversies: A theory of planned behavior perspective
Keywords:
consumer boycott intention, theory of planned behavior, social media platforms, subjective norms, transnational food safety controversy, digital marketsAbstract
In digitally mediated markets, consumer boycotts are increasingly shaped by platform infrastructures, online visibility, and networked communication, transforming individual consumption choices into collective and publicly observable actions with direct implications for entrepreneurial ventures operating across borders. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study examines how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control predict boycott intention within social media environments—a dimension prior TPB research has not fully addressed. This study is distinctive in that it operationalizes each TPB construct through the lens of specific digital affordances: Algorithmic curation for attitude formation, social-proof mechanisms for normative influence, and e-commerce tools for perceived feasibility. Survey data from 336 working-age Chinese consumers were collected to examine boycott intention in response to Japan’s discharge of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Multiple regression analysis shows that all three TPB constructs significantly predict boycott intention, with subjective norms exerting the strongest effect (B = 0.813), followed by perceived behavioral control (B = 0.754) and attitude (B = 0.597). In platform-driven contexts, consumer boycotts are shaped more strongly by digitally constructed social norms and platform-enabled perceptions of participation feasibility than by individual risk evaluation alone. By integrating TPB with a digital consumer perspective, this study contributes to research on consumer activism and entrepreneurship by elucidating how social media shapes consumer behavior and market responses in transnational contexts.
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