Motivating social media sharing of food user-generated content on Instagram: how incentives drive social commerce

Purpose This research aims to explore the mechanisms and conditions that motivate diners to engage in foodstagramming. It focuses on intrinsic versus extrinsic motivations, and the role of the dining environment in facilitating social connection and social commerce intention. Design/methodology/approach Two scenario-based experiments were conducted among Chinese participants. Experiment 1 (n = 219) used a one-factor between-subjects design to test the effect of foodstagramming incentives (intrinsic vs extrinsic) on social commerce intention. Experiment 2 (n = 529) used a 2 (foodstagramming incentive: extrinsic vs intrinsic) × 2 (environmental attractiveness: low vs high) between-subjects design to examine the mediation of social connection and the moderation of environmental attractiveness. Findings Intrinsic incentives more effectively enhance tourists’ social commerce intention than extrinsic incentives. The attractiveness of the dining environment moderates this relationship. Extrinsic incentives significantly boost social commerce intention and social connection in low-attractiveness environments, but not in high-attractiveness environments. Social connection serves as a conditional mediator. Practical implications Restaurant managers should prioritize superior service and culinary offerings, and invest in appealing dining environments to encourage tourists to share their dining experiences, leveraging word-of-mouth promotions. In less attractive settings, external incentives like coupons or discounts can promote food selfie-taking and sharing, driving social commerce intention. Originality/value This study offers new insights into foodstagramming motivations, highlighting the effectiveness of economic incentives and the role of the service environment in influencing social commerce behaviors. It expands the literature on service environments by explaining their effect on tourists’ sharing, commenting, liking and repurchasing behaviors.