Social Media and Impact of Altruistic Motivation, Egoistic Motivation, Subjective Norms, and EWOM toward Green Consumption Behavior: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

Nowadays, green consumerism is a global trend in the era of the 21st century, prompting businesses to become more environmentally conscious and to build a robust green product range to meet the demands of new customers. This tendency has been aided by social media, which has influenced customers’ buying intentions to be more ecologically responsible. The current study investigates the effects of web-based media on motivation, i.e., egotism and altruism and, subsequently, its effect on the intention of green buying. This paper also attempts to assess the impact of subjective norms on the intention of green buying and, subsequently, its effect on green purchase behavior by incorporating the construct EWOM. Administering the structured questionnaire, 362 young Indian customers’ responses were collected. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach was applied to test the suggested conceptual model based on empirical research. The findings point to the significance of social media in terms of altruistic motivation, egoistic motivation, and subjective norms, s well as the job of these components as predecessors of green purchasing intention and, subsequently, purchase behavior. The findings also demonstrate the impact of EWOM in influencing buying decisions. The findings of this paper demonstrates that social media, as a well spring of information, contribute pivotal ingredients in the establishment of consumer motivation. These consumer motivations with subjective norms play an essential role in positive green purchase intention. Green buying intention and EWOM had a favorable influence on buying behavior, according to the findings. The findings are important for marketers who would like to improve their social media communication tactics in order to raise customer motivation and buying intention, as well as buying behavior, for green products.

1. Introduction

Consumer behavior and environmental consciousness have improved significantly as a result of the environmental revolution, leading to a greater demand for green goods. Green activity and advantages improve brand loyalty not only for products and brands, but also for various store formats. As a result, environmental problems have become a hot subject among consumers, and more people are becoming aware of the harmful effects of their consumption on the environment [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Natural support elevates organizations to deliver and make products that are more harmless to the ecosystem and less unfavorable to the climate [4,5,6]. Organizations can pick between a completely green item range and a blend of environmentally friendly and conventional product offerings. A European survey found that 54% of people are more concerned about green consumption [7], and consumers have become more environmentally included toward the production of green production of green products and consumption of products [8,9].Although the idea of green products has gained popularity among organizations and customers, particularly on web-based media, there is no widely agreed term. Nonetheless, according to the following study, green cosmetics seek to preserve the atmosphere, mitigate waste, safely use natural energy, and protect animal health and species in addition to their critical functions [3,4,5,6]. According to [10], various considerations affect the buying of different green commodity styles (e.g., luxury goods, cosmetic goods, organic goods, and durable goods).Consumers are now more likely to follow healthy eating habits in order to add to environmental sustainability [11,12,13,14,15]. Ref. [16] found that the packaging industry plays a vital role in environmental conservation and long-term sustainability. They also suggested that environment-friendly packages are relatively new ideas/concepts that aim to strike a level between environmental and economic progress. References [17,18,19] found that many organizations are already taking steps to educate customers on the benefits of green brands. They suggested a novel model for green cosmetics based on an exhaustive literature analysis, distinguishing among color cosmetics and personal care (which are categorized in the luxury segment). Consumer behavior, industrial practices, and technologies have all shifted as a result of globalization and economic growth, with a wide variety of internet uses and business adoptions [20,21,22]. Social networking has developed into one of the most powerful consumer marketing techniques, and it is becoming deeply embedded in consumers’ everyday lives, altering the way buyers and marketers communicate [23]. In this scenario, social media has emerged as an electronic communication forum by enabling users to exchange ideas, knowledge, and materials generated via blogging and networking [24]. About 70% of youths in the United States use social media, with many having multiple pages on different platforms and mobile applications [25]. Youths are the primary segment of consumers that grow in this interconnected global environment, leaving them more susceptible to ethics problems than previous generations [26]. Furthermore, youths’ adolescent years saw an increase in public reports on environmental concerns and predispositions [27]. Ref. [28] found that youths are thought to be environmentally conscious. Youths’ motivations to buy green products, along with the use of web-based media usage as medium of marketing, have been studied by [29], but there is still a deficit in studies on the position of web-based media and controlling behavioral patterns among youths as a possible factor affecting buying patterns [30,31]. Several studies have shown that social media influences millennial consumer habits, but amid this, youths are reluctant to consume. Youths rely on social media in their daily lives more than any other generation [32]. As a result, research is needed to better understand green consuming habits and how social media influences them. With the value of social media, it is crucial to comprehend how the medium affects young consumers’ views of environmentally sustainable goods. Generally, it relates to purchase intention studies, often focusing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which states that attitude regarding the event, social expectations, and perceived behavioral regulation all influence purchase intention development. Recent phenomenon, such as the green behavior pattern, and more variables required for further explanation of the effect on web-based media on green buying intention. In the literature, the reason for buying environmental-friendly goods, which are a vital feature of moral purchasing, stresses the importance of both altruistic and egoistic motivation. Altruism denotes selfless conduct, such as care regarding the environment, whereas egotism denotes care for personal family welfare. Public attitudes toward green goods have been favorably affected by both environmental and health concerns, according to previous research. Unlike conventional word of mouth (WOM), electronic word of mouth (EWOM) may provide positive and negative feedback on goods and services made by previous, current, and prospective customers through the internet in a reasonable time. This EWOM correspondence has resulted in a massive amount of online product and service content/reviews. With the advancement of e-commerce, an online reputation mechanism was created to gather, disseminate, and compile reviews and comments on previous actions. Online customer feedback services aid shoppers in determining who to trust while purchasing online, and online customer ratings provide potential buyers with critical knowledge about whether to purchase a product or service. There is a large and increasing body of evidence that the EWOM message influences consumer expectations and behavior. Several studies have looked at the motivations for using SNSs in EWOM correspondence. In a similar way, EWOM will have a major effect on green buying intention. Consumers who actively pursue advice have strong intentions to buy organic goods, according to a previous survey [33]. Furthermore, before making a buying decision, advice seekers focus on knowledge posted on social networking sites and seek out credible and believable feedback from others [34]. Opinion giving is described as a practice in which people are motivated to share knowledge about their experiences with others [35]. In the form of online correspondence, certain opinion givers may be identified as opinion leaders [36]. According to [37], opinion leaders have a significant influence on others’ beliefs and behaviors. They have the power to explain the interpretation of facts and affect the buying choices of opinion seekers. It involves carrying on other people’s thoughts or knowledge to others. Opinion passing, on the other hand, can be described as opinion transmission in which online users are willing to share informative knowledge or experience with specific products/services, such as how to use them, in order to improve brand loyalty and serve as a guide for others in their purchasing decision-making [37]. Other scholars agree with [38] that subjective norms of the TPB component have a substantial effect on the decision to buy green goods. Consumers also buy various goods in order to control social desires, create and sustain relationships among social entities, and fulfill social responsibilities and needs [39]. Different studies have established that relationships among social norms and their purpose influence the actual consumption of green goods [40,41,42]. Withstanding the literature’s interest in the creation of green product buying intentions, less attention has been paid to the social media role here in this system. Here, the current study attempts to fill the space in the literature by looking at the effect on factors of social entities on customers’ egoistic and altruistic motivation, EWOM, subjective norms, and behavioral effects on environmentally product purchases, detailing the antecedents of customers’ buying intention. This study’s uniqueness lies in its investigation into how social media affects purchasing intent through motives, behaviors, and subjective standards. The study’s results will assist advertisers in designing tactics to entice youths to purchase green items.

2. Review of the Literature and Development of a Conceptual Framework

The detrimental environmental effects of global growth industrialization have become a worldwide issue. Both forms of businesses are also required to incorporate environmental practices into their operations. As a result, companies are emphasizing the promotion of green or environmentally sustainable materials. Individuals and communities must be stable and clean, and success and expense considerations must be considered [43,44,45,46]. Several businesses are looking into using eco-packaging or green packaging [8,47]. Previous research has attempted to pinpoint the causes that cause changes in customer behavior [43,48,49,50]. Many studies have attempted to investigate the relationships between motivations, eco-friendly actions, and personal perceptions about behavior [12,51,52]. Ref. [53], on the other hand, classified various values and argued that although all mentioned values which change over changing cultures and nations, the basic nomenclature remains the same. Multiple experiments have been conducted in response to the work of [53], and they have classified beliefs or motivations in two ways [54,55]. To begin, the distinction between progressivism and traditionalism distinguishes ideals that emphasize self-determination, such as independence, from fundamental and progressive values. Second, self-inspirational ideals are derived from a belief or motivation structure that can be classified as egoistic. The role of self-transcendent or altruistic motivation and self-enhancement(egoistic) motive or value have been studied in the past in assessing eco-friendly behavior. Individuals with altruistic motivation can behave for the good of others without gaining personal gain [44,56]. Egoistic motivation, on the other side, causes individuals to perform according to their own greatest advantage [44,57]. In the context of information sharing on social media, altruistic and egoistic motivations are widely researched factors. Various studies have suggested that altruistic motivation significantly impacts green consumption because of the use of social media by youths [58,59,60] According to [61], altruism is one of the most critical motives for people to share information and assist others on social media (for example, by answering a question).Egoism is also a powerful motivator for acquiring and exchanging information and thoughts. Consumer expectations and behavior are influenced by the EWOM message, according to a growing body of evidence. The reasons for using SNSs in EWOM correspondence have been investigated in a number of studies. Other researchers agree with [38] that the TPB component’s subjective norms having a major impact over the decision to buy products in the green category. Consumers often purchase goods to regulate their social desires, form and balance relationship among social entities, and perform numerous social roles such as meeting daily needs [39].Previous research has not looked at the diverse nature of altruistic and egoistic motives in the context of social media in developed countries such as India while taking into account EWOM and subjective norms. As a result, the current research aims to determine the importance of web-based media or social media toward customer motive orientation (egoistic or altruistic), as well as how the influence of EWOM and subjective norms leads them to purchase eco-friendly goods in the context of a developing country such as India (see Figure 1).

3. Development of Hypotheses

With regards to data sharing via online media, altruistic and egoistic motivations are routinely contemplated factors. Altruism is the critical motive for people to pass on information and assist users on social media, according to [61]. Egoism is also a powerful motivator for acquiring and exchanging information and thoughts. Ref. [62] demonstrated from their study that pleasure has a positive effect on blogging attitudes. In their behavior and decision-making, consumers are heavily influenced by their peers and others’ views. In the case of green goods, Ref. [63] discovered that social motivations or values are prominent or significant factors over customers’ environmental interest. According to [64], television news and nature documentaries have a positive impact on consumers’ ability to buy environmentally friendly goods. Furthermore, social media should help consumers become more environmentally conscious. It has been discovered that by sending out a systemic informative message about adopting a green lifestyle, web-based media influencers also effectively address their followers’ absence of awareness. The effect of web-based media on the development of altruistic and egoistic motivations is obvious. According to [65], social media factors emphasize the personal advantages of adopting a green lifestyle (personal health, efficiency, cost savings, and so on) rather than environmental concerns. Various studies have found that social media is most influential platform which moves the behavior of individual toward certain points [66,67,68,69]; on the other hand, studies have demonstrated the power of Instagram and Twitter in spreading the animal testing problem in the cosmetic industry. Ref. [70] discovered that celebrity trustworthiness, knowledge, and attractiveness have an affirmative effect on customers’ advertisement intentions and attitude to buy environment-friendly cosmetics goods through Instagram. The standards of environmental behavior are sustained, encouraged, and disseminated across social networks [71]. Therefore, the following hypotheses were formulated.

H1: 

Consumers’ altruistic motivation for green products is positively influenced by social media.

H2: 

Consumers’ egoistic motivation for green products is positively influenced by social media.

H3: 

Consumers’ subjective norms toward green goods are positively influenced by social media.

3.1. EWOM and Green Purchase Behavior

Word-of-mouth contact is simply a message about a client’s product or service, or about the company itself, in the form of feedback about the product’s success, hospitality, honesty, level of operation, or a specific problem seen and experienced by someone else. Depending on how the message-giver feels about the programs he or she supports, the message received may be either upbeat or negative. Consumer behavior has been modified as a result of the shift in message paradigms, which has resulted in the elimination of mainstream messaging. Customers still prefer word of mouth because the transfer of personal information is regarded as trustworthy. Consumers may be influenced significantly by word of mouth. EWOM has an impact on consumer purchase decisions, according to [72,73]. EWOM influences customer purchasing decisions, according to [74]. Consumers can gain a lot more familiarity with other customers and receive a faster response on product details with the EWOM. Consumers typically request information from websites other than government sources of product data where information about goods or services is unclear. Therefore, this article recommends that EWOM would disperse considerably more data to shoppers, further impacting purchase behavior. The EWOM influences purchase behavior and is a predictor of purchase behavior. Therefore, we propose the following hypothesis.

H4: 

EWOM has a positive influence on purchasing behavior.

3.2. Altruistic Motivation and Attitudinal Green Purchase Intention

Altruism is characterized as a person’s selfless action that helps others. Previous research has revealed a connection between consumers’ environmental issues and their decision to buy organic foods [75]. Consumers demonstrate their pro-environmental attitudes and respect for biodiversity by buying organic foods and green goods [76,77]. The beneficial effect of environmental interest on purchasing intention has been studied in a variety of contexts, including organic food [78] and green products [79]. Preexisting altruistic principles have a greater impact on attitudinal purchasing intention for eco-friendly packaged goods than egoistic values [80]. Ref. [81] discovered that consumers’ environmental awareness has a positive effect on their attitudinal purchasing intention for buying organic personal care goods in the form of green cosmetics. Altruism entails acting on behalf of someone without asking much in return [82]. It is a significant indicator of environmental protection [83,84]. Consumers with higher levels of altruism are more concerned about environmental effects than the personal implications of their behavior [85]. As a result, this community of customers is more environmentally friendly. The results support previous studies [47,84,86] that altruism has a substantial impact on customers’ green buying intentions. Based on the abovementioned literature, we formulated following hypothesis:

H5: 

Consumers’ attitudinal buying intention for green products is favorably influenced by altruistic motivation (concern for the environment).

3.3. Egoistic Motivation and Attitudinal Green Purchase Intention

Ref. [87] suggested that individuals’ health concerns demonstrate the pro-self (concern for oneself or one’s family) principle, which can be interpreted as egoistic in nature. Natural food is thought to be healthier and more nutritious than traditional food [88,89]. Since it is made without the use of any toxic additives or fertilizers, it is environmentally friendly [90,91]. Concerns over health and safety are two of the most important things to remember when buying green products [92,93,94,95]. The need for good health and well-being, in particular, is the driving force behind food markets. The majority of customers choose organic, renewable, or eco-friendly goods because they believe that these good scan benefit them [47]. However, several previous researchers have identified health concerns and safety concerns as important considerations when buying green goods [43,44,47]. According to an increasing body of research on organic food consumption, health concerns and issues are among the most critical motivators for cultivating good intentions about green food consumption [96,97]. On the basis of above-mentioned literature, the following hypothesis was assumed:

H6: 

Consumers’ attitudinal buying intention toward green items is favorably influenced by egoistic motivation (concern for health).

3.4. Subjective Norms and Green Purchase Intention

Consumers often buy various goods to manipulate social needs, create and sustain social relationships, and attain other social roles, such as social status, rather than to meet their own needs [39]. According to [41], there is a strong association between societal pressure and attitudes toward purchasing environmental goods, which is backed up by other research [81]. As per [98], the majority of consumers who enjoy environment-friendly products have huge confidence in others and anticipate others to follow. Hence, consumers often purchase environmental-friendly products to show their feelings toward the environment to society. The correlation among social expectations, purpose vis a vis, and actual consumption of green goods has been established in different studies [40,41]. Personal norms were the most significant determinant in the development of attitudes toward green goods. The social effect would have a greater influence on behavior, especially on environmental intervention, due to consequences existing in thoughts of the customers (e.g., remote potential qualitative advantage), according to [99]. In the case of green cosmetics, subjective norms have been shown to have a positive effect on product purchase intent [81,100,101,102]. Therefore, following hypothesis was assumed:

H7: 

Consumers’ buying intentions for green goods are positively influenced by subjective norms.

3.5. Green Purchase Intention and Green Purchase Behavior

Intention is described by [84] as a person’s willingness to engage in a particular action. An individual is willing to exercise if it captures the desire to perform, including willingness to contribute and increased efforts. The Theory of Planned Behavior suggests that success is the result of passionate acts that in nature. Ref. [84] discovered signs of a clear association between behavioral intentions and green purchasing activity in the form of green goods. Consumers with a high level of involvement must forma conscious, no-strings-attached order [103,104]. The variables that affect customer green purchasing behavior are referred to as green purchase intentions. Green purchasing intention positively influences green purchase behavior since purchasing habits are facilitated by intention. As a result, it is considered a predictor of purchasing activity, and the below mentioned hypothesis was formulated along the line of the previous literature.

H8: 

Green purchase intent has a positive impact on green purchase behavior.

4. Research Methods

The questionnaire was developed with the help of references from the green products and social media literature. All of the elements were assessed on a Likert scale, comprising a score from1 to 5, where 5 indicated strong agreement and 1 indicated strong disagreement.

Social Media was measured using items adopted from [105] and [106]. Altruistic Motivation was measured utilizing items taken from [107,108,109]. Egoistic Motivation measured utilizing items taken from [110,111]. E-WOM was evaluated utilizing items taken from Jain et al. [103]. Measuring items for Subjective norms were taken from [102]. Green Purchase Intention was measured using the items taken from Chin et al. [102] and Jain et al. [103]. Green Purchase Behavior was measured utilizing the items adopted from Jain et al. [103].

Table 1. The measures of all items and the sources.

Measuring Items for Variable	Sources
Green Purchase Intention (GI) In the future, I can only buy goods that are less polluting (GI1). For environmental reasons, I would switch my allegiance to green goods (GI2). I’m considering increasing my investment on environmentally friendly products (GI3).	Chin et al. (2018) [102] and Jain et al. (2020) [103]
Green Purchase Behavior (GB) I just buy green products that I use on a regular basis (GB1). Green goods are an essential part of my everyday routine (GB2). For the past few months, I’ve been buying green in this manner (GB3).	Jain et al. (2020) [103]
Electronic Word of Mouth (EWOM) On social media, I often express my views on green goods (EWOM1). Consumers’ green buying decisions are influenced by EWOM on social media platforms (EWOM2). I’ve used Facebook rather than any other way to express myself (EWOM3).	Jain et al. (2020) [103]
Subjective Norms (SN) Green materials, according to experts, should be included (SN1). People that matter to me demand that I use green goods (SN2). My family and close friends encourage me to use environmentally friendly products (SN3).	Chin et al. (2018) [102]
Social Media(SM) My social media activity has an effect on my green purchase (SM1). I use social media to look up updates about environmentally friendly goods (SM2). Social networking posts on green goods are reliable (SM3).	Gunawan and Huarng (2015) [105], and Goldsmith et al. (2000) [106]
Altruistic Motivation (AL) Buying this green brand has an ethical appeal for me because the goods are made in an environmentally friendly manner (AL1). This eco brand’s sustainable preservation is in line with my ethical values (AL2). In order to survive, humans must establish a healthy relationship with nature (AL3). When I shop for things, I look for some that are environmental friendly (AL4).	Sánchez-Fernández et al. (2009) [109], Roberts and Bacon (1997) [108], and Izagirre-Olaizola et al. (2015) [107]
Egoistic Motivation (EG) I think of myself as a health-conscious shopper (EG1). To maintain my fitness, I carefully choose green items (EG2). When making a decision, I still think about the product’s health benefits (EG3).	Tarkiainen and Sundquist (2005) [111] and Sony and Ferguson (2017) [110]

indicates the measures of all items and the sources from which they were taken.

4.1. Procedure of Data Collection and Data Responses

Data wereobtained from young consumers using a query survey methodology. Initially, a pilot analysis was undertaken to ensure that the questions were understandable by users and to improve the questionnaire’s content validity. However, no changes to the questionnaire were made after the pilot study because the respondents were welleducated and understood the vocabulary and function of the questionnaire. After that, the questionnaire was circulated to young people at different colleges and universities using a convenience method. Since convenience sampling can restrict the generalizability of the findings, there are some indications that student samples (youths) are appropriate for such studies [112,113]. Out of 500 questionnaires released, 362 answers were returned, representing a response rate of 72.4 percent. After excluding missing and outlier responses, the current study considered 321 responses. The male population accounted for 60% of the population, while the female population accounted for 40%. The majority of respondents (39.56%) identified as postgraduate students, preceded by graduate students (31.46%). The ethnic distribution of the survey can be found in

Table 2. The demographic profile of the respondents.

Age	18–23	24–27	28–30
	85(26.47%)	101(30.46%)	135(42.05%)
Gender		Male	Female
		192(60%)	129(40%)
EducationQualification	12th	Graduate	Post Graduate	PhD
	61(19%)	101(31.46%)	127(39.56%)	32(10%)

.

4.2. Data Analysis

Before analyzing measurement and path model, multicollinearity, and common method bias were checked for a good fit of data for proposed model.

Multicollinearity was checked using VIF(Variance Inflation Factor). The results show that the VIF of all constructs varied from 1.20 to 1.594, which was within the prescribed threshold value of VIF ≤ 5.

Harmon’s one factor test was performed to check for common method bias. A single factor extracted from all the items explained ‘24.86% variance, suggesting there is no issue.

To analyze the relationships among constructs, the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique was considered. For the assessing and estimating the two models, i.e., the measurement and structural model and their path analysis, the Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS),Version 21, was utilized in the current research.

4.3. Measurement Model

The reliability and validity of the responses were assessed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The CFA results showed that the importance of the CFA fit indices reflected a good model fit (CMIN/DF-2.091, RFI-0.911, TLI-0.952, CFI-0.961, RMSEA-0.058, GFI-0.903, NFI-0.928, and IFI-0.961). Internal reliability among the elements of each construct was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. The value varied from 0.773 to 0.945, which is significantly higher than the appropriate limit for behavioral validity of 0.7 and higher [114]. In addition, the respondents’ convergent and discriminant validity were assessed to ensure their reliability. Factor loading and Average Variance Extracted were used to achieve convergent validity (AVE). All of the products had a factor loading of greater than.6 (range: from 0.67 to 0.932), which met the criteria [34]. The AVE value varied between 0.536 and 0.813, which was inside the appropriate range of 0.5 and higher [114]. For more information on reliability and convergent validity, see

Table 3. Measurement Model: Reliability and Validity.

Variables	Factor Loading	SMC	Cronback’s Alpha	AVE
Altruistic Motivation (AL)
AL1	0.932	0.868	0.945	0.813
AL2	0.895	0.802
AL3	0.895	0.802
AL4	0.884	0.781
Green Purchase Behavior (GB)
GB1	0.788	0.620	0.773	0.536
GB2	0.704	0.495
GB2	0.702	0.493
Egoistic Motivation (EG)
EG1	0.931	0.867	0.924	0.808
EG2	0.902	0.814
EG3
Subjective Norms (SN)	0.863	0.744
SN1	0.923	0.851	0.926	0.807
SN2	0.903	0.816
SN3	0.868	0.753
Green Purchase Intention (GI)
GI1	0.895	0.800	0.910	0.774
GI2	0.875	0.766
GI3	0.868	0.756
E-Word of Mouth (EWOM)
EWOM1	0.916	0.839	0.915	0.783
EWOM2	0.896	0.803
EWOM3	0.841	0.708
Social Media(SM)
SM1	0.913	0.834	0.821	0.629
SM2	0.809	0.654
SM3	0.633	0.400

. Finally, discriminant validity was evaluated. Each construct’s square root of AVE was greater than its correlation value [34]. Ref. [115] recommended that the correlation value should be less than 0.8 among constructs to ensure discriminant validity, and the current result supports this. The analysis satisfies the reliability and validity criteria, paving the way for the exploration of a relationship between constructs (Structural model). Discriminant validity can be found in

Table 4. Correlation between constructs and descriptive statistics.

	AL	GB	EG	SN	GI	EWOM	SM
AL	0.902
GB	0.222 **	0.732
EG	0.392 ***	0.540 ***	0.899
SN	−0.0150	0.083	0.008	0.898
GI	0.273 **	0.391 ***	0.493 ***	0.397 ***	0.880
EWOM	0.055	0.213 ***	0.156 *	−0.063	0.059	0.885
SM	0.216 **	0.407 ***	0.351 ***	0.147 **	0.195 **	0.114	0.793
Mean (S.D)	3.25 (1.12)	2.62 (0.8)	3.33 (1.10)	2.73 (0.93)	3.15 (1.09)	3.16 (1.19)	3.16 (1.6)

* p < 0.050, ** p < 0.010, *** p < 0.001.

.

4.4. Structural Model: Goodness-of-Fit Indices

After the proposed model met the requirements for reliability and validity, the structural model was evaluated. The structural model is a system of dependencies that connects the framework’s various hypothesized constructs. The structural model was used to evaluate the conceptual framework’s goodness-of-fit indices. The SEM results indicate that the conceptual structure used in this analysis is a good match for the evidence (CMIN/DF = 2.452, GFI = 0.889, NFI = 0.910, RFI = 0.896, IFI = 0.944, TLI = 0.936, CFI = 0.944). All of the fit index values were significantly higher than the recommended value of 0.9 [116]. The observed RMSEA value was 0.067, which satisfies the suggested criteria of less than 0.08 [117].

4.5. Hypothesis Testing

Table 5. Hypothesis testing.

Path	β Value	t-Statistics	Relationship
SM-AL (H1)	0.229	3.797	Supported
SM-EG (H2)	0.357	5.935	Supported
SM-SN (H3)	0.141	2.295	Supported
EWOM-GB (H4)	0.189	3.026	Supported
AL-GI (H5)	0.115	2.335	Supported
EG-GI (H6)	0.457	8.743	Supported
SN-GI (H7)	0.376	7.300	Supported
GI-GB (H8)	0.40 0	5.932	Supported

summarizes the findings of hypothesis testing. The β value reports the impact of independent variable on the dependent variable. The results indicate that the social media significantly influenced the altruistic motivation, egoistic motivation, and subjective norms (Social media-Altruistic motivation, β = 0.229, t = 3.797, p = <0.05; Social media- egoistic motivation, β = 0.357, t = 5.935, p < 0.01; Social media-subjective norms, β = 0.141, t = 2.29, p < 0.05). The result also indicates that green purchase intention and EWOM were significantly related to green purchase behavior (Green purchase intention- Green purchase behavior, β = 0.400, t = 5.932, p = < 0.01; EWOM-Green purchase behavior, β = 0.189, t = 3.026, p = <0.05). It was also observed that green purchase intention was influenced significantly by altruistic motivation, egoistic motivation, and subjective norms (Altruistic motivation- green purchase intention, β = 0.115, t = 2.335, p = <0.01; Egoistic motivation-green purchase intention, β = 0.457, t = 8.743, p = <0.01; Subjective norms-green purchase intention, β = 0.376, t = 7.300, p = <0.01). The result shows that all the hypotheses were supported.

5. Discussion and Conclusions

In the context of India, a developing country, this aimed to explain the role of altruistic motivation, egoistic motivation, and subjective norms in deciding the youth consumers’ intention to buy green or organic goods. According to the study, both altruistic motivation (concern for environment) and egoistic motivation (concern for health) play a major role in determining youth green purchasing intentions. However, the egoistic benefit (concern for health) was discovered to have a significant impact on green products. Consumers favor egoistic motivation over altruistic motivation when buying green goods, according to the results of [84,87]. This demonstrates that while Indian youths consider the environment when purchasing green or organic products, their personal health benefits are still the most important to them. Subjective norms had favorable and important effect over customers’ purchasing intentions for environment-friendly goods, according to the survey, which is consistent with earlier research related to environment-friendly products [81,100,101,102,103,118]. Table 5 also shows that web- or social-based media has a substantial affirmative effect over customers’ altruistic motivation and that it may shape customers’ environmental interests, confirming the findings of research in the field of green goods [63,118,119]. The results also suggest that social media has a beneficial effect on egoistic motivation. This supports the previous study’s findings that web- or social-based media has a favorable effect on customers’ health concerns about environment-friendly goods [118]. Web-based media has a significant effect on subjective norms about green products, which is consistent with the findings of previous research [71,118]. EWOM was discovered to be a major indicator of purchasing behavior, despite the fact that researchers have known for a long time that EWOM has an effect on consumers’ purchase behavior [103,120]. The effect of purchase intent on buying behavior is stated to be significant, which is line with previous research [103].

5.1. Theoretical and Managerial Implications

In the field of green goods, researchers have discovered evidence of a clear association between behavioral intention and green purchasing behavior. Green buying purpose is described as a customer’s willingness to buy green goods. The driving forces that affect customer green purchasing behavior are referred to as “intention”. According to studies, having a green buying intention encourages people to make green purchases. Green products are generally more expensive than their conventional counterparts, and customers would not make sacrifices only for environmental reasons [121]. As a result, advertisers should place a greater focus on the egoistic motivations of green goods, such as nutritional advantages, flavor, and so on, in addition to the altruistic incentive appeals, as youths are more interested in their health, causing them to choose health-related products [122,123]. Since the idea of a green product or an organic product is still relatively recent in India, advertisers must highlight every part of it, including how the goods or foods were produced using natural techniques and details such as the absence of artificial pesticides and fertilizers. Consumers are becoming more interested in green products, yet the positive formation of purchase intentions and motivation for these green goods is an open study issue in various studies. Nonetheless, web- or social-based media has recently significantly altered the characteristic of communication among consumers and companies. The current study investigated the effects of social media on green product buying intentions by looking at incentives and subjective norms as antecedents of buy intention and, ultimately, buying behavior. The findings support social media’s ability to predict altruistic motivation, egoistic motivation, and subjective norms. Because of its popularity, social media has become a desirable means of communication for businesses. Companies have recognized the value of social media as a tool for connecting with customers and promoting their products. Because social media has become such a crucial tool for communicating with youths, it must be fully leveraged to maximize its societal advantages. The influence of social- or web-based media in changing youths’ buying intentions toward green consumption through egoistic motivation, altruistic motivation, and subjective norms was investigated in the current article. Shifting behavior toward green component practices will aid in resource conservation, environmental improvement, and resource waste reduction. Because the majority of customers are active on social media platforms, the study’s findings will help businesses understand how to leverage social media platforms to drive green purchasing among Indian customers. Increased environmental knowledge and health concerns through social media platforms would enhance green consumption. The findings revealed that social media may boost environmental awareness and personal health awareness, resulting in a favorable purchasing intention for green items. As a result, social media may be an essential medium for sensitization of pro-environmental behavior and may be a potent vehicle for altruistic messages. These messages can then be turned into positive green product buying intentions. The influence of social media on health concerns has been established, and it has a beneficial impact on green buy intentions. Furthermore, social media has the ability to affect customers’ reference groups, as well as general societal pressure, which has a direct impact on purchase intentions for green products. As a result, posts by influencers and celebrities, information posted by family and friends, theme group conversations, and reviews can all be regarded as useful methods for raising awareness and purchase intention toward green products. Based on these findings, businesses may craft a social media message stressing the environmental and health advantages in available products to increase favorable green purchase intentions and perceived social pressure in the context of environmental-friendly product purchases.

5.2. Limitation and Future Research

The research does not look at people’s attitudes toward green products, and it instead measures purchasing intention and behavior. Regarding the fact that previous studies have found a connection between attitude and purchase intention, future studies could combine purchase intention with attitude using the social media site. The β values of hypotheses H3, H4, and H5 were lower, but a significant impact and relationships was supported. If the sample size was increased, then the β values of hypotheses H3, H4, and H5 would be improved, and this would strengthen the relationships Another drawback may be customer self-selection bias, as respondents who are more concerned with their health and the environment could have participated in the survey [124]. Furthermore, the report only looked at youths, which might have skewed the results. Consumers from various socio-demographic groups can be used in future studies to provide more generalized results. Furthermore, the study looked at the idea of green goods in general, while previous studies have shown that consumers behave differently when it comes to particular types of green products, such as organic foods, organic vegetables, eco-friendly packaged products, and so on. As a result, prospective researchers could take these ranges into account when comparing attitudes and behaviors toward green goods. The use and consumption of social media varies by country. Since this research was conducted in India, it would need to be replicated in other countries before the results can be generalized. Another constraint of this research is convenience sampling. Therefore, another sampling technique may be used by researchers for future research. Only three constructs were used in this analysis to mold buying intentions for green goods. Future research should make thorough use of the literature to apply further structures to this model in order to improve their understanding of how green intentions are formed and, as a result, influence purchasing behavior.