Digital Social Comparison and Consumer Behavior: The Roles of Status Motivation and Benign Envy in Green Hotel Booking Decisions

The increasing visibility of consumers’ environmentally responsible experiences on social networking platforms has created new forms of digitally mediated social comparison that may shape subsequent consumer behavior. Drawing on Social Comparison Theory, this study examines how observing others’ conspicuous green consumption (OCGC) on social media influences consumers’ intentions to engage with green hotels, focusing on the psychological roles of status motivation and benign envy. A quantitative approach was adopted, with data collected from 432 consumers who had recently stayed at or were currently staying in Green Star Hotel (GSH)-certified properties in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that OCGC significantly enhances both consumers’ intention to purchase from the same green hotel and their intention to book a competing green hotel. These relationships are significantly and positively mediated by status motivation and benign envy, demonstrating that digitally observed green consumption can trigger distinct psychological responses that translate social comparison into consumer behavioral intentions. Furthermore, the desire for self-promotion positively moderates the relationship between OCGC and status motivation, indicating that consumers who are more motivated to present themselves favorably online are particularly responsive to conspicuous green consumption displayed by others. The study extends research on digital social comparison and consumer behavior by demonstrating how social-media-based consumption displays activate status-oriented and emotional mechanisms that shape subsequent behavioral intentions. Practically, the findings suggest that marketers can strategically facilitate the online visibility of consumers’ green experiences to stimulate social comparison, status motivation, and benign envy, thereby encouraging engagement with green hotel offerings.