Impact of Social Media Influencers on Gen Z's Financial Decision-Making

The rapid expansion of social media has significantly influenced the financial behaviour of Generation Z, reshaping the way young individual access, interpret, and apply financial information. Social media platforms have emerged as important sources of financial knowledge, with influencers, commonly known as finfluencers, playing a key role in shaping decisions related to saving, spending, investing, and budgeting. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter attract Gen Z users through easily accessible, engaging, and relatable financial content. This study examines how factors such as influencer credibility, clarity of information, and repeated exposure to financial content affect the financial attitudes and behaviours of Generation Z. While finance-related content on social media increases awareness and encourages early participation in financial activities, it also presents challenges, including misinformation, emotionally driven decisions, and the tendency to imitate others, particularly in high-risk investment areas like cryptocurrencies. The research adopts a descriptive and analytical approach, using structured interviews as primary data and existing literature as secondary data. The findings indicate that social media influencers have a considerable impact on Gen Z’s financial decision-making; however, limited financial literacy and the lack of regulatory oversight may lead to excessive dependence on online advice, highlighting the need for responsible financial content creation and stronger financial education to support informed and sustainable financial choices among Generation Z.