The Effect of Digital Literacy on Online Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Social Media Use

The rapid advancement of information technologies and the widespread use of the Internet have profoundly transformed individuals’ daily practices and consumer behaviors. Notably, the growing influence of social media platforms has shifted a significant portion of commerce to digital environments and deeply affected online purchasing processes. In this context, the purpose of this study is to examine the direct effect of digital literacy on online purchase intention and to investigate the mediating role of social media use within this relationship. The study sample consists of 401 participants from various cities across Türkiye who actively use social media. Data were collected through an online survey and analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. The findings reveal that digital literacy significantly predicts both online purchase intention and social media use. Moreover, social media use has a positive and statistically significant effect on online purchase intention. Importantly, it was found that social media use partially mediates the relationship between digital literacy and online purchase intention. By highlighting how digital literacy and social media jointly influence online consumer behavior in an era of emerging digital technologies and marketing innovation, this study contributes to both the academic literature and practitioners developing effective digital marketing strategies.