The Impact of Social Media Exposure on Consumer Banking Decisions in Sri Lanka

Social media (SM) has been a crucial medium for influencing Sri Lankan individuals, where financial institutions have increasingly felt the need to adopt SM marketing practices coupled with customer engagement. This study investigates the relationship between SM factors and customer banking decisions mediated by customer trust and satisfaction with their bank(s). The moderating roles of consumers' digital literacy and demographic factors are also examined. The findings confirm SM platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn make up for the improvement in terms of consumer engagement. Content quality is important when shaping customers' satisfaction and trust levels. Based on the survey, building trust and pleasure with SM banking services rests much on customer digital literacy. A higher level of digital literacy considerably raises the chance of both trusting and using banking services via SM, while demographic characteristics—age, gender, income, and education—also influence consumers' reactions. Younger consumers indicate a higher preference for dynamic and interactive content, while older ones show a preference for security and reliability. These results highlight the need for digital literacy programs and focused communication plans to better satisfy and engage customers using SM banking.