THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL IDENTITY, SOCIAL MEDIA AMPLIFICATION, AND VISUAL AESTHETICS ON CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION IN SPORTAINMENT LIFESTYLE AMONG GENERATION Z IN PEKANBARU

Abstract

This study examines the effects of Social Identity, Social Media Amplification, and Visual Aesthetics on Conspicuous Consumption within the sportainment lifestyle among Generation Z in Pekanbaru. The growing integration of sports and entertainment has shifted consumption from functional purposes toward symbolic and status-oriented behavior, influenced by identity formation, social media exposure, and visual appeal. Using a quantitative explanatory approach, data were collected from 100 Generation Z respondents through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS, including validity, reliability, classical assumption, multiple regression, t-test, and F-test analyses. Results show that Social Identity (β = 0.328; p = 0.001), Social Media Amplification (β = 0.325; p < 0.001), and Visual Aesthetics (β = 0.335; p < 0.001) positively and significantly affect Conspicuous Consumption. Simultaneously, all variables significantly influence consumption behavior (F = 87.614; p < 0.001), explaining 73.2% of the variance (R² = 0.732). Visual Aesthetics is the most dominant factor. These findings highlight the role of identity, digital influence, and visual appeal in shaping Generation Z’s symbolic consumption behavior.