Research Article
Social Media Usage and Compulsive Buying Tendencies Among Consumers
Bogumiła Mucha*
,
Adriana Wysocka
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 3, September 2026
Pages:
72-78
Received:
11 June 2026
Accepted:
14 July 2026
Published:
26 August 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijebo.20261403.11
Downloads:
Views:
Abstract: The rapid expansion of social media has transformed consumer decision-making processes and intensified exposure to social comparison and materialistic values, potentially increasing the risk of compulsive buying. This study examines the psychological mechanisms underlying compulsive buying among adult consumers in the digital environment, focusing on the relationships between social media use, demographic characteristics, and compulsive buying tendencies. The theoretical framework integrates self-determination theory, social comparison theory, and the concept of symbolic consumption to explain how digital interactions shape consumer behavior and reinforce purchasing as a form of psychological compensation. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 459 adult respondents using the Polish adaptation of the Compulsive Buying Scale (CBS ). The findings revealed a highly statistically significant positive relationship between time spent on social media and the intensity of compulsive buying behaviors. Among the analyzed platforms, Instagram users exhibited the highest levels of compulsive buying tendencies. The analysis further demonstrated significant gender differences, with women reporting higher compulsive buying scores than men. In contrast, neither declared income nor place of residence significantly predicted compulsive buying propensity. These findings indicate that compulsive buying is more strongly associated with psychological and socio-cultural factors than with objective economic conditions. The results support the view that contemporary consumption is increasingly mediatized and that shopping behaviors frequently serve compensatory psychological functions related to identity construction, emotional regulation, and social validation. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on digital consumer behavior by providing empirical evidence on the psychological determinants of compulsive buying in the context of social media use and offers implications for consumer education, prevention strategies, and future research.
Abstract: The rapid expansion of social media has transformed consumer decision-making processes and intensified exposure to social comparison and materialistic values, potentially increasing the risk of compulsive buying. This study examines the psychological mechanisms underlying compulsive buying among adult consumers in the digital environment, focusing ...
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