Self-Presentation in Action: Platform Intimacy as a Driver of Green Advertising Success on Social Media

Abstract

As social media becomes a key channel for green advertising, the role of platform characteristics, particularly platform intimacy, remains underexplored in shaping consumer responses. Grounded in Self-Presentation Theory, this research examines how platform intimacy shapes consumer attitudes toward green ads on social media, highlighting the mediating role of self-presentation motivation. Through a series of studies that include an analysis of real-market data from Instagram and Twitter and three controlled experiments, we find that platform intimacy positively affects consumer attitudes toward green ads by enhancing their motivation to present themselves. Moreover, public visibility, as a contextual factors, plays distinct moderating roles on the mediating pathway, thereby altering the overall effect of platform intimacy on green advertising. These findings extend Social Identity Theory into the realm of green advertising on social media and provide actionable guidance for marketers on leveraging platform-specific dynamics to enhance the effectiveness of green marketing strategies.

Keywords: Social media advertising, Green advertising, Platform intimacy, Self-presentation, Advertising effectiveness