Scrolling Toward Sustainability: Incidental Exposure to TikTok Content, Attitude Formation, and Sustainable Food Consumption Behavior

Abstract

Sustainable food consumption is widely recognized as a global priority. However, many consumers remain disengaged from sustainability messages. They also show low levels of personal involvement in environmental issues.

Algorithm-driven social media platforms, such as TikTok, have created new conditions for content exposure. Users may encounter sustainability-related content even when they are not actively searching for it. These incidental exposures can still influence how individuals think and behave.

Drawing on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study examines whether incidental exposure to sustainability-related TikTok content shapes attitudes toward sustainable food consumption. It further investigates how these attitudes translate into behavioral intentions and actual consumption behavior. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 381 young social media users in Pakistan. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the proposed relationships.

The findings indicate that incidental exposure has a significant positive effect on attitude. Attitude, in turn, influences both behavioral intention and social media engagement. Engagement further strengthens behavioral intention, which predicts sustainable food consumption behavior. Attitude fully mediates the relationship between incidental exposure and intention, while social media engagement partially mediates the relationship between attitude and intention.

The study offers an integrated ELM–TPB framework for understanding sustainability communication in algorithm-driven environments. It also highlights practical implications for social media strategy, sustainability marketing, and public policy.