Generation Y's dining information seeking and sharing behavior on social networking sites : An exploratory study

Purpose – Since the advent of the internet, social networking sites (SNS) have grown rapidly in popularity. This paper aims to explore Generation Y's information seeking and sharing behavior with regard to information about SNS; it also investigates the impact of consumer characteristics and gender differences on information seeking and sharing behaviors, to help marketers and researchers gain better insight into Generation Y consumers and social media marketing. Design/methodology/approach – A self-administered survey was conducted among Generation Y college students. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and Mann-Whitney U -tests were employed to address the research questions. Findings – Generation Y'ers are heavy users of SNS. Consumer opinion leadership (COL) and consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence (CSII) affect Generation Y's dining information seeking and sharing behavior on SNS. No gender differences emerged. Research limitations/implications – This research extends COL and CSII, from general consumer behavior to dining-related behavior, and offers insights into the information seeking and sharing behavior of Generation Y. In practical terms, it raises marketers' awareness of Generation Y consumers and highlights the importance of social media marketing. A limitation of this study is the sample size and generalizability of the results. Originality/value – This study represents a first attempt to use COL and CSII to explain dining behavior and link these two consumer characteristics with social media marketing.