Exploring the impact of social media on entrepreneurial intention: a survey on high-school students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7433/s119.2022.08Keywords:
student entrepreneurship; entrepreneurial intention; social media dependency; theory of planned behavior; cognitive modelAbstract
Purpose of the paper: In modern society, the media system is one of the most important agents of influence on minds and is a very powerful tool that generates awareness around entrepreneurship as well as acceptance and interest in this activity.
Built on Media Systems Dependency theory and theory of Planned Behavior, the study aims to explore if and how social media dependency affects students’ cognitive processes that lead to intention to engage in entrepreneurial behavior.
Methodology: To test the proposed empirical framework and hypotheses, the study adopts a quantitative approach, through a survey and OLS Regression Analysis.
Findings: Social media dependency plays a significant role in the formation of students’ entrepreneurial intentions and this relationship is mediated by the effects that the classical antecedents of intentions (according to the TPB) have on behavioral intentions. Social media dependency results in contributing to both behavioral and normative beliefs among students.
Research limits: Sampling procedures and outcomes may limit the generalizability of results.
Pratical implications: The study advances entrepreneurship research on “exogenous” determinants of entrepreneurial intention also offering some practical suggestions for educators and policy-makers who wish to boost the effectiveness of entrepreneurship discourse through new digital tools.
Originality of the paper: In the studies on the determinants of entrepreneurship, this is the first piece of research that highlights the role of Media Dependency in the formation of entrepreneurial intention in a very young population and which condenses in an empirical framework two relevant theories from different fields.
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