Social Media and Fashion Buying Behaviour of Young Adults A Systematic Literature Review Based on PRISMA

Abstract

Today’s fashion purchase is impossible to imagine without the ongoing presence of social media. A fast look through Instagram or YouTube Reels reveals a constant flow of wardrobe ideas, influencer reviews and business advertising that heavily push viewers to buy. This systematic literature review intends to provide insight into what the academic literature says about this relationship through investigating the impact of social media usage on fashion buying behaviour of young adults (18–29 years) as identified in peer-reviewed studies indexed in Scopus, Web of Science and Research gate. A systematic search was adopted following PRISMA 2020 principles in three databases (Scopus, Web of Science and ResearchGate). Of the original search of 554 records, the final synthesis included 43 peer-reviewed papers that met the whole set of qualifying requirements. The synthesis resulted five themes: (1) influencer marketing and credibility; (2) platform-specific dynamics on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook; (3) content created by users (UGC) and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM); (4) sustainable and ethical fashion consumption; and (5) social comparison and identity formation. The most common drivers of fashion purchase intention across these themes were influencer credibility, content authenticity and Para social links between followers and producers. It is evident that social media has evolved from being a marketing medium to being a participatory fashion ecology in which aspiration, identity and consumption are connected. The analysis also highlighted numerous important gaps including a lack of longitudinal studies in the Global South, especially in India, and the absence of cross-platform comparative studies.