AI Insight
This study of 1,186 Chinese Generation Z consumers found that exposure to hiking content on social media was positively associated with intention to participate in hiking activities. This relationship operated through two sequential mediating factors: travel inspiration and destination image, meaning social media content first inspired travel interest, which then shaped perceptions of hiking destinations, ultimately influencing participation intentions. Social connectedness moderated these relationships, with individuals reporting higher social connectedness showing stronger associations between social media content exposure and hiking participation intention.
Why it matters
The findings provide evidence-based guidance for outdoor recreation marketers and tourism professionals on how to effectively use social media to promote hiking participation among younger consumers. Understanding these psychological pathways could help design more effective digital marketing campaigns for outdoor recreation and inform public health initiatives aimed at increasing physical activity through nature-based leisure.
Understand the Science
ObjectiveThis study examined the relationship between perceived social media hiking content and hiking participation intention among Chinese Generation Z consumers. It further tested whether this relationship was consistent with a serial mediation pattern involving travel inspiration and destination image, and whether social connectedness moderated these associations. Node-level network analysis was also used to identify key relational structures among construct items and dimensions.MethodsAn online questionnaire survey was conducted among 1,186 Chinese Generation Z consumers with prior contact with social media hiking content. Participants completed measures of perceived social media hiking content, travel inspiration, destination image, social connectedness, and hiking participation intention. SPSS 26.0 was used for common method bias testing, descriptive statistics, and correlation analysis. The PROCESS macro was used to examine serial mediation and moderated conditional process models. R software was used to estimate an undirected node-level network and identify conditional associations among items and dimensions.ResultsPerceived social media hiking content was significantly and positively associated with hiking participation intention. The serial mediation analysis showed that this relationship was consistent with indirect pathways involving travel inspiration and destination image. Social connectedness moderated some of the associations. At higher levels of social connectedness, the positive associations among perceived social media hiking content, destination image, and hiking participation intention were stronger, and the indirect associations through destination image and through the travel inspiration–destination image pathway were more pronounced. Network analysis indicated that hiking participation intention and destination image were the main cross-community connection areas. Future participation likelihood, affective image, adoption intention, recommendation intention, and infrastructure evaluation emerged as key bridge nodes.ConclusionPerceived social media hiking content was positively associated with hiking participation intention among Chinese Generation Z consumers, and this relationship was consistent with a serial mediation pattern involving travel inspiration and destination image. Social connectedness moderated some of these associations, suggesting that the link between perceived hiking-related social media content and hiking participation intention may vary according to consumers’ relational embeddedness. Overall, this study provides correlational evidence for applying the stimulus–organism–response framework to leisure sport consumption and digital tourism behavior, and offers practical insights for social media hiking content communication and outdoor leisure consumption.