Fulfill obligation toward nature and consume together: unraveling the influence of social media opinion leadership on collaborative consumption

Purpose In the present work, we aim to investigate the direct and indirect, via consumer sense of obligation toward the natural environment (SONE), roles of social media opinion leadership in shaping consumers’ collaborative consumption behavior. The moderating impact of consumer trait mindfulness is also examined. Design/methodology/approach We collected survey data by adopting a time-lagged design (3 rounds, separated by 2 weeks) from 238 followers of a social media opinion leader’s Instagram account. Findings The results support the proposed relationships, indicating that social media opinion leadership positively influences consumers’ collaborative consumption behavior directly and indirectly via consumer SONE. Additionally, consumer trait mindfulness moderates the relationship between social media opinion leadership and consumer SONE, as well as the indirect association between social media opinion leadership and collaborative consumption behavior. Originality/value By elucidating the mechanisms through which social media opinion leadership affects collaborative consumption behavior, we contribute to the literature on online opinion leaders and collaborative consumption. We also highlight the mediating role of consumer SONE and the moderating role of mindfulness, offering a novel perspective on promoting sustainable consumption through social media influence.