Materialism, Attitudes, and Social Media Usage and Their Impact on Purchase Intention of Luxury Fashion Goods Among American and Arab Young Generations

Social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Foursquare provide consumers with tremendous opportunities to create and disseminate brand-related content and product usage information around the world. This study investigates whether materialism, an important construct of consumer behavior, is a consequence of social media usage, which also influences users’ attitudes toward social media advertising (SMADV) among American and Arab young social media users. In addition, this study examines the relationship between materialism and purchase intention of luxury fashion goods across American and Arab users. Overall, the results suggest that Arab social media users exhibited higher levels of materialism and social media usage as well as more favorable attitudes toward SMADV than did American users. In both samples, social media usage positively predicts materialism and users’ SMADV attitudes. Both samples showed positive relationships between materialism and purchase intention toward luxury fashion goods. Theoretical and managerial implications for global online advertisers are provided.