Abstract
Digital platform has become the main source of information and references for the younger generation. The information spread online can be good or bad, right or wrong that trigger various responses. As consumers, young people have unique characteristics that need to be explored. This study attempts to discover the major reasons for young boycotters in responding to news framing in social media. The boycott impacts were focusing on food brands that have become boycott targets. The data was collected from 328 young boycotters (aged 18–25 years old) in Indonesia. These young boycotters have experience accessing social media news related to boycott content. A structural equation modeling (SEM) is performed to examine the hypothesized relationships among variables to explore the reasons for respondents in boycotting food brands. The findings indicate that emotional and factual news framing have significant effects on trust in social media. Emotional News Framing has a direct effect on boycott intention, while Factual News Framing has a significant effect on negative brand image. Results further show that Trust in social media has an effect on the negative brand image of foreign food brands as boycotted targets and has an impact on the positive brand image of local brands, that prompt the purchase intention as a replacement for foreign brands that were boycotted.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study have been made publicly available by the authors in the Figshare repository and are accessible at: https://url-shortener.me/H9C6
References
Abbas SO, Soharwardi SMN, Ameer A (2024) The influence of social media platforms on public opinion: a case study of the Gaza-Israel conflict. Insights J Hum Media Stud Rev 1(1):22–36. https://doi.org/10.63290/a4hrn338
Abdullah NAHN, Singam PSK (2014) The impact of negative social media communication, boycott campaign, and brand trust on Generation Y intention to purchase fast food products. Aust J Basic Appl Sci 8(12):39–46. ISSN 1991-8178
Amora JT (2021) Convergent validity assessment in PLS-SEM: a loadings-driven approach. Data Anal Perspect J 2(3):1–6
Asad S (2024) The effect of social media influencers on brand trust and the moderating role of brand reputation on brand commitment and brand loyalty. Mark Forces 19(1):1–28
Avci H(2024) Factors influencing the boycott intentions of Turkish consumers amid the Israel-Palestine conflict. Rev Brasileira Gestão Negócios 26(4):e20240035. https://doi.org/10.7819/rbgn.v26i4.4282
Aydin E (2021) The web of hate: fragmentation of media authority and its link to online hate speech. Rev Brasileira Gestão Negócios 23(1):1–15. https://doi.org/10.7819/rbgn.v26i4.4282
Baden C (2019) Framing the news. The handbook of journalism studies. Routledge, pp 229–245. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315167497
Bravo OSAC, Chapa S (2024) Testing the effects of moral intensity news frames on consumer boycott intention. J Consum Mark 41(2):226–238
Bravo OSAC (2020) To boycott or not? The impact of high moral intensity framing on consumer boycott decision-making. The Florida State University
Cambefort M, Pecot F (2020) Theorizing rightist anti-consumption. Mark Theory 20(3):385–407. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593119882513
Chin WW (2010) How to write up and report PLS analyses. In: Vinzi VE, Chin WW, Henseler J, Wang H (eds) Handbook of partial least squares: concepts, methods and applications in marketing and related fields. Springer Handbooks of Computational Statistics. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-32827-8_29
Dalakas V, Melancon JP, Szczytynski I (2023) Brands in the eye of the storm: navigating political consumerism and boycott calls on social media. Qual Mark Res Int J 26(1):1–18. https://doi.org/10.1108/QMR-07-2021-0089
Delistavrou A (2022) Theory of planned behaviour and boycotting: the moderating role of socio-political control and demographics. EuroMed J Bus 17(2):179–196. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-02-2021-0020
Ebrahim RS(2020) The role of trust in understanding the impact of social media marketing on brand equity and brand loyalty. J Relation Market 19:287–308. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332667.2019.1705742
Fan M, Weiming C (2022) An qualitative research on regional brand image and its effect on purchase intention. Asian J Agric Ext Econ Socio 40(10):824–834. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajaees/2022/v40i1031148
Gala H, Afifah N, Heriyadi H, Pebrianti W (2024) The effect of political consumerism, moral intensity news framing, and peer pressure on boycott intention. Manag J Binaniaga 9(1):1–12. https://doi.org/10.33062/mjb.v9i02.73
Gamson WA, Modigliani A (1987) The changing culture of affirmative action. In zBraungart RZ, Braungart, MM (eds) Research in political sociology, vol. 3. JAI Press, pp 137–177
Gunawan G, Keni K (2022) Pengaruh brand awareness, brand image, dan marketing mix terhadap purchase intention Kopi Bubuk Lokal di Bali. J Manaj Bisnis dan Kewirausahaan 6(4):353–358
Hair JF, Hult GT, Ringle C, Sarstedt M (2022) A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), 3rd edn. Sage Publication, Inc
Hair JF, Ringle CM, Sarstedt M (2011) PLS-SEM: indeed a silver bullet. J Mark Theory Pr 19:139–151. https://doi.org/10.2753/MTP1069-6679190202
Hammouda A, Elkeerany A (2024) The moderating role of boycott participation on brand commitment and loyalty. Soc Justice Res Behav Sci 38(4):1993–2041. https://doi.org/10.21608/sjrbs.2024.333571.1812
Han H, Yu J, Chua BL, Lee S, Kim W (2019) Impact of core-product and service-encounter quality, attitude, image, trust and love on repurchase: Full-service vs low-cost carriers in South Korea. Int J Contemp Hospit Manag 31(4):1588–1608. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2018-0376
Hirschberger B (2021) External communication in social media during asymmetric conflicts: a theoretical model and empirical case study of the conflict in Israel and Palestine. Columbia University Press
Hong C (2018) Boycotting or buycotting? An investigation of consumer emotional responses towards brand activism. University of Miami
Hydock C, Paharia N, Blair S (2020) Should your brand pick a side? How market share determines the impact of corporate political advocacy. J Mark Res 57(6):1135–1151. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243720947682
Jakarta Globe (2024) KFC Indonesia closes dozens of outlets and lays off 2,274 workers amid heavy losses and boycott calls. APSN
Jakopović H (2017) Predicting the strength of online news frames. INDECS 15(3):209–221. https://doi.org/10.7906/indecs.15.3.5
Jalli N (2025) Viral Justice: TikTok activism, misinformation, and the fight for social change in Southeast Asia. Sage J. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251318122
Jedicke A, Arnold E, Lindenmeier J (2025) Boycott intention using viewpoint compatibility. https://d-nb.info/1351941879/34. https://jakartaglobe.id/business/kfc-indonesia-closes-dozens-of-outlets-and-lays-off-2274-workers-amid-heavy-losses-and-boycott-calls#goog_rewarded
John A, Klein J (2003) The boycott puzzle: consumer motivations for purchase sacrifice. J Mark Res 40(2):219–227. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.40.2.219.19229
Jørgensen S, Taboubi S, Zaccour G (2003) Retail promotions with negative brand image effects: Is cooperation possible. Eur J Oper Res 150(2):395–405. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-2217(02)00641-0
Kam CD, Deichert M (2020) Boycotts, buycotts, and the psychology of political consumerism. J Politics 82(1):72–88. https://doi.org/10.1086/705882
Kanol D, Nat M (2017) Interest groups and social media: an examination of cause and sectional groups’ social media strategies in the EU. J Public Aff. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1649
Karduni A, Wesslen R, Markant D, Dou W (2023) Images, emotions, and credibility: Effect of emotional facial expressions on perceptions of news content bias and source credibility in social media. In Proceedings of the international AAAI conference on web and social media, 17:470-481s. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v17i1.22161
Kucukemiroglu O, Kara A (2022) The role of trust and distrust in the relationship between corporate social irresponsibility and boycott intentions: a parallel mediation analysis. J Bus Res 145:1–10. https://doi.org/10.31743/ntz.14548
Kulkarni H, Joshi P, Chande P (2019) Computational Psychology to Embed Emotions into Product to Increase Customer Affinity. In International Conference on Intelligent Computing and Communication Technologies (pp. 36-46). Singapore: Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8461-5_5
Zubair M, Wang X, Iqbal S, Awais M, Wang R (2020) Attentional and emotional brain response to message framing in context of green marketing. Heliyon, 6(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04912
Lecheler S, de Vreese CH (2019) News framing effects: theory and practice. Routledge, pp 1–17. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315208077
Lee A (2020) Youth, media activism, and communication counterpower: a comparative study. Harvard University. https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/37365921
Bravo OSAC ChapaS (2024) Testing the effects of moral intensity news frames on consumer boycott intention. Journal of Consumer Marketing 41(2):226–238. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-06-2022-5413
Lian JW, Yen DC (2014) Online shopping drivers and barriers for older adults: age and gender differences. Comput Hum Behav 37:133–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.028
Lindgren E, Lindholm T, Vliegenthart R, Boomgaarden HG, Damstra A, Strömbäck J, Tsfati Y (2024) Trusting the facts: the role of framing, news media as a (trusted) source, and opinion resonance for perceived truth in statistical statements. J Mass Commun Q 101(4):981–1004. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776990221117117
Makarem SC, Jae H (2016) Consumer boycott behavior: an exploratory analysis of Twitter feeds. J Consum Aff 50(1):193–223. https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12108
Mardhatillah A (2020) Model of intention to behave in online product purchase for Muslim fashion in Pekanbaru, Indonesia. J Islamic Mark 11(6):1419–1441. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-09-2018-0159
Munaro AC, Barcelos RH, Maffezzolli ECF, Rodrigues JPS, Paraiso EC (2021) To engage or not engage? The features of video content on YouTube affecting digital consumer engagement. J Consum Behav 20(5):1234–1245. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cb.1903
Neuman WR, Just MR, Crigler AN (1992) Common knowledge: news and the construction of political meaning. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Neureiter M, Bhattacharya CB (2021) Why do boycotts sometimes increase sales? Consumer activism in the age of political polarization. Bus Horiz 64(5):611–620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.020
O’Neil J, Eisenmann M (2017) An examination of how source classification impacts credibility and consumer behavior. Public Relat Rev 43(2):278–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2017.01.002
Ngo TTA, Vuong BL, Le MD, Nguyen TT, Tran MM, Nguyen QK (2024) The impact of eWOM information in social media on the online purchase intention of Generation Z. Cogent Bus Manag 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2316933
Ramadhani JY, Prasasti A (2023) Brand trust capacity in mediating social media marketing activities and purchase intention: a case of a local brand that go-global during pandemic. IJBE 9(1):81
Rasoolimanesh SM (2022) Discriminant validity assessment in PLS-SEM: a comprehensive composite-based approach. Data Anal Perspect J 3(2):1–8
Salma SY, Aji HM (2023) What drives Muslims to boycott French brands? The moderating role of brand judgment and counterargument. J Islamic Mark 14(5):1003–1021. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-04-2021-0128
Sari DK, Games D (2024) Investigating young consumer’s boycott behavior in an emerging market. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2362444
Sari DK, Mizerski D, Liu F (2017) Boycotting foreign products: a study of Indonesian Muslim consumers. J Islamic Mark 8(1):16–34. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-12-2014-0078
Sarstedt M, Hair J, Nitzl C, Ringle C, Howard M (2020) Beyond a tandem analysis of SEM and PROCESS: use of PLS-SEM for mediation analyses. Int J Mark Res 62:288–299
Sembiring BKF, Hasibuan BK, Sugiharto S, Maas LT (2024) Brand trust in social media marketing: the role of brand engagement. In: Proceedings of the 3rd economics and business international conference, EBIC 2022. EUDL. https://eudl.eu/doi/10.4108/eai.22-9-2022.2337418
Sen S, Bhattacharya CB, Gurhan-Canli Z (2001) Does doing good always lead to doing better? Consumer reactions to corporate social responsibility. J Mark Res 38(2):225–243. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.38.2.225.18838
Snapchart.Global (2024) A year has passed is the boycott action still a trend in Indonesia. https://snapcart.global/a-year-has-passed-is-the-boycott-action-still-a-trend-in-indonesia
Suhartanto D, Helmi Ali M, Tan KH, Sjahroeddin F, Kusdibyo L (2019) Loyalty toward Islamic banking: Service quality, emotional or religious driven? J Islamic Mark 10(2):498–512. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-01-2018-0007
Miri A, Karimi-Shahanjarin A, Afshari M, Tapak L, Bashirian S (2024) The impact of emotional vs rational message framing on social media users' detection and sharing of misinformation: an experimental study. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society 22(3):321–330. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-10-2023-0124
The Washington Post (2006) For Danish firms, boycott in mideast a ‘Nightmare’. Available via The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2006/02/11/for-danish-firms-boycott-in-mideast-a-nightmare-span-classbankheadmillions-of-dollars-in-sales-are-lost-as-markets-that-were-built-over-decades-disappear-in-daysspan/ba717851-f441-4981-82e2-ee3277f2d581. Accessed 10 Jan 2025
Trisatya AA (2024) Brand trust for local brands in Medan. In: Proceedings of the 3rd economics and business international conference, EBIC 2022. https://eudl.eu/doi/10.4108/eai.22-9-2022.2337400
Valenzuela S, Piña M, Ramírez J (2017) Behavioral effects of framing on social media users: how conflict, economic, human interest, and morality frames drive news sharing. J Commun 67(5):803–826. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12325
Woinowsky E (2019) The effects of emotional versus rational message framing on brand attachment and brand loyalty. University of Nevada, Las Vegas Theses/Dissertations/Professional Papers. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/3702/digitalscholarship.unlv.edu+1digitalscholarship.unlv.edu+1
Zhang C, Han B (2024) How perceived brand localness affects purchase intentions: examining the role of brand authenticity. J Glob Scholars Mark Sci 35(1):76–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/21639159.2024.2400955
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Directorate of Research, Technology, and Community Service, Directorate General of Research and Technology, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Republic of Indonesia (BIMA) under the regular fundamental scheme in accordance with research contract number: 041/E5/PG.02.00.PL/2024 for the 2024 fiscal year.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
DKS: first and corresponding author, conceptualization, methodology, writing and paper preparation, investigation, writing—review and editing, funding acquisition, and supervision. DG: conceptualization, methodology, writing the paper, investigation, and writing—review and editing. EB: methodology, writing the paper, and data collection. LAT: data collection, writing, editing. NAU: writing the paper and editing.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Ethical approval
This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Review Boards (ERB), Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia, under approval no. 237/UN16.05.WD1/PT.01/2025, January 27th, 2025. All procedures involving human participants were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee of ERB, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia. The scope of the approval covered the recruitment, informed consent, data collection, and analysis of data related to social media news framing and boycott activities for young people.
Informed consent
Informed consent was obtained in written form through an online consent statement embedded in the Google Form used for data collection. All participants were required to read the information about the study and indicate their agreement to participate before accessing the survey questions. Consent was obtained prior to the start of data collection in January 2025. The study was conducted online, and participation was voluntary and anonymous.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Sari, D.K., Games, D., Besra, E. et al. Emotion vs fact: the power of social media news framing in motivating young boycotters. Humanit Soc Sci Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06987-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06987-6
