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Gen Z’s social media engagement, fashion innovativeness, need for variety,
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Gen Z’s social media engagement, fashion

innovativeness, need for variety, and gender

Jane E. Workman, Seung-Hee Lee & Yuli Liang

To cite this article: Jane E. Workman, Seung-Hee Lee & Yuli Liang (2023) Gen Z’s
social media engagement, fashion innovativeness, need for variety, and gender,
International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 16:1, 110-118, DOI:
10.1080/17543266.2022.2126015

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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FASHION DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION
2023, VOL. 16, NO. 1, 110–118
https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2022.2126015

Gen Z’s social media engagement, fashion innovativeness, need for variety, and
gender
Jane E. Workmana, Seung-Hee Leea and Yuli Liang b

a
Fashion Design and Merchandising Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA; bFashion Merchandising program, School of
Family and Consumer Sciences, San Marcos, TX, USA

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The purpose of this study was to examine differences among fashion innovativeness groups and Received 1 June 2022
genders in social media engagement and need for variety and to examine social media use among Accepted 12 September
a group of Gen Zers. Social Media Engagement (SME) theory, Basic Psychological Needs Theory, 2022
and the Uses and Gratifications framework guided the research. Fashion innovativeness, social
KEYWORDS
media engagement (for searching, sharing, and entertainment), and need for variety are Social media engagement;
connected. Fashion innovators scored highest in SME-search, SME-share, and SME-entertain fashion innovativeness; need
followed by early, late, and reluctant adopters. Fashion innovators scored highest on need for for variety; gender; Gen Z
variety, followed by early and late adopters, followed by reluctant adopters. Women engaged in
social media use more than men for SME-search, SME-share, and SME-entertain but men and
women did not differ in need for variety. Women scored higher on fashion innovativeness than
men. Implications for theory, practice, and education are provided.

1. Introduction 2015; Sobaih et al., 2020). Social media has changed

the process of consumer decision making. Accessing
Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2020) defines social
sites such as Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, consu-
media as ‘forms of electronic communication (such as
mers look for information about products of interest
websites for social networking and microblogging)
and share their consumer experiences with others.
through which users create online communities to
Gen Zers are known for their social media engagement,
share information, ideas, personal messages, and other
purchasing the latest styles, and posting their outfit of
content (such as videos)’. Gen Z has fuelled rapid pro-
the day on platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat.
gression of social media usage (Dimock, 2019). The
Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine
average daily social media usage in the U.S. was
differences among fashion innovativeness groups and
123 min in 2019 (Statista, 2020a). Among U.S. adults,
genders in social media engagement and need for var-
78% of women and 65% of men used social networking
iety. A secondary purpose was to examine some aspects
sites (Social media use, 2017; Statista, 2020b). Gen Z is a
of social media use among a group of Gen Zers.
technologically savvy generation; they have grown up
using computers and the Internet (Doster, 2013). They
spend around eight hours on social media weekly for
2. Conceptual framework
communicating, entertaining, and socialising with
their peer groups 24/7 (Bardhi, Rohm, & Sultan, 2010; The framework for this study was provided by four con-
Doster, 2013). Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic structs: social media engagement, fashion innovative-
affected Gen Zers; they became more addicted to ness, need for variety, and gender. The review of the
using social media for academic communication literature will show how these four constructs are
(Sobaih, Hasanein, & Abu Elnasr, 2020) and anxiety related.
relief (Jiang, 2021).
Social media’s influence has significantly increased
over the last several decades. Gen Zs’ primary uses are 2.1. Social media engagement
personal contact, news consumption, self-expression,
Social media refer to websites and online tools that
brand connections, and academic communication
facilitate interactions between users by providing them
(Masip, Guallar, Suau, Ruiz-Caballero, & Peralta,
with opportunities to share information, opinions, and

CONTACT Jane E. Workman [email protected] Fashion Design and Merchandising Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA
© The Textile Institute and Informa UK Ltd 2022
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FASHION DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION 111

interests (Khan, 2017). According to Magro (2012), A fashion influencer is an individual who has social
social media consist of an assortment of social network- power to influence opinions and purchase behaviour
ing applications such as social networking sites or ser- of their followers on social media with their posts and
vices. Social Media Engagement (SME) theory defines recommendations regarding fashion content. Fashion
user engagement as a ‘user’s state of mind that warrants bloggers are individuals who are known primarily for
heightened involvement and results in a personally their website where they post such content as fashion
meaningful benefit (i.e. involvement to fulfill a need)’ and style articles, photos of outfits, and videos of fashion
(Di Gangi & Wasko, 2016, p. 57). It proposes that higher shows. These individuals fulfil specific functions in the
engagement leads to greater use of social media. fashion process, for example, fashion influencers’ and
As social media use increases, research on SME fashion bloggers’ role is to disseminate information
increases (e.g. Castillo-Abdul, Pérez-Escoda, & Núñez- about fashion; it is unknown whether they actually pur-
Barriopedro, 2022; Dessart, 2017; Khan, 2017). Dessart chase and/or wear the products they promote. Further,
(2017) explored individual-level antecedents they are often paid for endorsing fashion products.
(emotional, cognitive, behavioural) and their outcomes Fashion influencers post photos of themselves show-
for SME by examining 48 Facebook pages across nine casing their style which influences their audiences
product categories and surveying 448 consumers. Pro- (McQuarrie, Miller, & Phillips, 2012; Rocamora,
duct involvement, attitudes toward community, and 2011). A great number of consumers reach out to
propensity to interact online all influenced SME. High fashion influencers for authenticity, consumerism, crea-
SME increased brand relationships, particularly affect- tive inspiration, aesthetic inspiration, and exemplary
ing brand trust, commitment and loyalty. taste (Lee, Sudarshan, Sussman, Bright, & Eastin,
Khan (2017) investigated motives for YouTube user 2022; McQuarrie et al., 2012). Following shopping sug-
engagement (i.e. active participation, passive content gestions from fashion influencers provides consumers
consumption). An online survey of 1143 registered You- entertainment and a variety of choices (Cheung,
Tube users revealed the strongest predictors of video Leung, Aw, & Koay, 2022; Farivar, Wang, & Yuan,
likes and dislikes were relaxing entertainment, com- 2021). In the domain of marketing strategies, fashion
ments and uploads, and sharing information. Infor- influencers offer several benefits such as advertising,
mation-seeking motives (e.g. reading comments) was promoting, endorsing, and maintaining credibility
significant in passive content consumption while view- with followers (Griffith, 2011). However, research has
ing videos. mostly focused on enhancing the use of fashion influen-
Motivates for people to engage in social media are cers for retailing and fostering consumer–brand
information search (SME-search), knowledge sharing relationships (Labrecque, 2014), rather than from target
(SME-share), and entertainment (SME-entertain) customers’ motivations to engage with social media.
about subjects of mutual interest (Khan, 2017), such In general, trendsetters are ‘individuals who are
as fashion. In recent years, the fashion industry has among the first to adopt an innovation and then com-
emphasised communication with consumers through municate this effectively to others’ (Batinic, Wolff, &
social media. Instagram has become an important Haupt, 2008, p. 88). When this definition is applied to
engagement platform between fashion designers and the specific domain of fashion, trendsetters are called
their followers (Cheung & Choi, 2022). fashion innovators, that is, individuals who are among
Fashion has potential to engage users in social media the first to adopt a fashion innovation and then commu-
through information search (e.g. for new styles, prices, nicate information about this new fashion to others.
availability), knowledge sharing (e.g. latest trends, fab- The focus of this study is fashion innovators who are
rics, colours), and entertainment (e.g. aesthetic features among the first consumers of the target market to pur-
such as silhouettes, fabric patterns, styling details). chase and wear new and different fashion items. Sub-
Thus, social media have potential to influence purchase sequently they disseminate information about their
decisions among fashion consumers. experiences with the new fashion, but not because
they are paid to do so. It is not fully understood what
motivates consumers to share their experiences with
others (Kaur & Subodh, 2018), but the opinions of
2.2. Fashion innovativeness
fashion innovators are likely to be more authentic, cred-
From a marketing perspective, some individuals play a ible, and trustworthy than the opinions of paid endor-
critical role in consumers’ purchasing behaviours (e.g. sers. Tjhin and Aini (2019) found that e-word-of-
fashion influencers, fashion bloggers, fashion trendset- mouth had a significant effect on trust and trust had a
ters, fashion innovators). significant effect on purchase decisions.
112 J. E. WORKMAN ET AL.

Fashion innovators are important consumers both domain-general and domain-specific measures of
because they influence later adopters by providing need satisfaction (Vansteenkiste, Niemiec, & Soenens,
exposure to new fashion styles. Not only do they provide 2010). Consumer behaviour is a field that has many
exposure to new styles but their friends, family, and topics potentially related to BPNT, for example, fashion
other social acquaintances value their insight when con- innovativeness and social media engagement.
sidering purchase of fashion products (Vernette, 2004). Novelty-variety has been proposed as a fourth need
Virtually all consumers make use of other people’s important in the motivational process (e.g. Gonzalez-
opinions when searching for information about fashion Cutre, Sicilia, Sierra, Ferriz, & Hagger, 2016; Gonzá-
products (Cho & Workman, 2015) but consumers are lez-Cutre, Romero-Elías, Jiménez-Loaisa, Beltrán-Car-
especially receptive to personal testimony from some- rillo, & Hagger, 2020). According to these authors,
one they know and trust considering the information need for novelty-variety is innate, exists in all cultures,
to be credible and unbiased (Cafferky, 2004; Myers & is present in all development stages, and contributes
Hufton, 2008). to individuals’ ideal growth.
Fashion innovators identify and react to new fashion ‘People are often faced with the challenge of feeling
innovations and are willing to change. Importantly, unsatisfied with what once motivated, excited, and
fashion innovators begin the diffusion process by fulfilled them’ (Bagheri & Milyavskaya, 2020, p. 2).
being among the first to adopt new fashion products. The terms ‘novelty’ and ‘variety’ have been used inter-
Subsequently, fashion innovators communicate the changeably (e.g. Sheldon, Boehm, & Lyubomirsky,
potential of these fashion innovations to others through 2012). Gonzalez-Cutre et al. (2016, p. 159) defined
various channels, including social media. Because novelty as ‘need to experience something not previously
fashion innovators presumably find the active search experienced or deviates from everyday routine’. Sylve-
for new products entertaining and communicate the ster et al. (2016) defined variety as ‘a psychological
potential of new products to others, then it can be pre- experience that included novel and/or alternating fam-
dicted that fashion innovators will have greater social iliar experiences, which could also be simple, mundane
media engagement than later adopters. and conventional’ (p.1045). Novelty and variety are clo-
sely connected and produce comparable results on
. H1: Fashion innovators will have greater SME-search motivational tendencies (see Gonzalez-Cutre et al.,
than later adopters. 2016; Sheldon et al., 2012; Sylvester et al., 2016).
. H2: Fashion innovators will have greater SME-share Novelty-variety is an individual perception of experi-
than later adopters. encing something new (Bagheri & Milyavskaya, 2020).
. H3: Fashion innovators will have greater SME-enter- Novelty-variety has implications for a variety of differ-
tain than later adopters. ent contexts and has similar effects on various out-
comes, for example, consumer choices (i.e. Wood,
2004). Wood found consumers’ brand selection and loy-
alty differed across different product categories and that
2.3. Need for variety
variety was an important attribute of brand selection for
Self-determination theory (SDT) is a theory of human some products but not others.
motivation and personality proposing that all humans It is useful to look at the motives underlying social
are motivated to grow and change by three innate and media engagement through the lens of Uses and Gratifi-
universal psychological needs – autonomy, competence, cations (U&G) framework focusing on individual
and relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 2012). A recent increase psychological needs and gratifications (Blumler &
in research on innate and universal psychological needs Katz, 1974). The U&G framework can be used to: (a)
has been partially inspired by Basic Psychological Needs describe how SME gratifies users’ needs; (b) discover
Theory (BPNT), a mini-theory within SDT. Research motives for SME; and (c) identify consequences (posi-
guided by BPNT has looked at needs other than auton- tive and negative) of SME (Katz, Haas, & Gurevitch,
omy, competence and relatedness (Vansteenkiste, Ryan, 1973). A central premise of U&G framework is that
& Soenens, 2020). Basic psychological needs provide users are actively seeking to fulfil their needs and receive
motivation underlying various behaviours. BPNT has satisfaction when needs are met (McQuail, 2005).
been supported by research in such fields as education, Fashion products have potential to satisfy a need for
health behaviour, psychotherapy, sport and exercise, novelty-variety because (a) of the many aesthetic
and work motivation, but there is scant research apply- elements with which they are designed and (b) they
ing this theory to consumer behaviour. One potential can provide new information, knowledge, experiences,
direction for future research on BPNT is to validate or sensory stimulation. Fashion clothing supplies
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FASHION DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION 113

sensory stimulation through sight, touch, kinesthetics, research has not uncovered any gender differences in
smell, hearing, and taste (Fiore, 2010). To paraphrase need for variety.
Bagheri and Milyavskaya (2020), fashion innovators
may feel discontented with a style that at one time sat- . H8: Women and men will not differ in need for
isfied or even excited them. Fashion innovators’ discon- variety.
tent or boredom with commonplace styles may stem
from a need for variety in the form of mental stimu- Gender impacts adoption of innovations but evi-
lation (Studak & Workman, 2004; Workman & John- dence of gender differences in innovativeness is mixed
son, 1993). As a result, fashion innovators’ search for (Batinic et al., 2008; Ilie, Van Slyke, Green, & Hao,
variety to alleviate boredom may include social media 2005; Mazman, Usluel, & Çevik, 2009). The domain-
use to acquire information. Fashion innovators are per- specific innovation being studied may account for
ceptive users of information such as images and descrip- some of the discrepancy (e.g. fashion, communication
tions in advertisements, magazines, and newspapers. technology, music); but even within a single domain
Fashion advertisements (print or online) are important of innovation (e.g. fashion) mixed results have emerged.
sources of visual imagery that provides pleasure and For example, compared with men, women were more
entertainment to readers (Currie, 1997). Therefore, likely to be fashion innovators (Goldsmith & Clark,
need for variety can be a motivation for social media 2008; Quigley & Notarantonio, 2009; Workman &
use. Fashion innovativeness, social media engagement, Cho, 2013; Workman, Lee, & Jung, 2017). Others
and need for variety are connected, that is, fashion inno- found no difference between men and women in fashion
vators can actively satisfy a need for variety by using innovativeness (Cardoso, Costa, & Novais, 2010; Work-
social media for entertainment and to search for and man & Cho, 2013).
share information about fashion.
. H9: Women will score higher on fashion innovative-
. H4: Fashion innovators will have a greater need for ness than men.
variety than later adopter groups.

3. Method
2.4. Gender 3.1. Participants
Social media use is influenced by gender (e.g. Dikbaş The 21.4 million U.S. college students are in an age
Torun, 2019; Hargittai, 2007; Khan, 2017; Muscanell group that is highly interested in fashion (Weber &
& Guadagno, 2012). Women are more likely to engage Weber, 2022). In 2021, U.S. consumers spent a total of
in maintaining relationships on social media and men $9.4 billion on back-to-college clothing and accessories
are more likely to use social media to form new connec- (Statista, 2021). The average monthly clothing and
tions (Muscanell & Guadagno, 2012). Women tend to accessories expenditure for college students in 2021
use social media such as MySpace more than men (Har- was $148.37 (Lexington Law, 2021). From the market
gittai, 2007). Women were likely to engage in social point of view, college students are a distinct consumer
media use more positively and effectively than men segment with sizeable spending power of $593 billion
(Dikbaş Torun, 2019). Women were more likely to (Lexington Law, 2021). These students are in Gen Z
share YouTube videos with their social networks than (born between 1997 and 2012) (Boomers, Gen, & Gen,
men (Khan, 2017). Compared with men, women were 2021). Other labels used to describe this generation
more likely to engage with social media (Social media reflect their characteristics and interests, for example,
use, 2017; Statista, 2020b) for entertainment, for search- Gen Tech, post-Millennials, iGeneration, Gen Y-Fi,
ing, and for sharing information about fashion (SME- and Zoomers. Therefore, this group is an appropriate
search, SME-share, SME-entertain). group to study.

. H5: Women will have greater SME-search than men.

3.2. Materials
. H6: Women will have greater SME-share than men.
. H7: Women will have greater SME-entertain than The questionnaire included demographic questions and
men. questions related to social media use such as favourite
social media site, time spent on social media sites
Consistent with the proposal that need for variety is weekly, frequency of checking their social media sites
an innate basic need (Bagheri & Milyavskaya, 2020); each day, number of people they follow on social
114 J. E. WORKMAN ET AL.

media, number of followers they have, frequency of 4.2. Social media use
sharing their fashion styles on social media sites, and
The top five social media sites were Instagram, Twitter,
if they have their own fashion blog. Instruments used
Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube (Table 2). Partici-
were the 9-item Trendsetter Questionnaire to measure
pants spent from less than three hours to more than
fashion innovativeness (Batinic et al., 2008); 10-item
12 h weekly on social media sites. They checked their
experience seeking component of the Sensation Seeking
social media sites several times a day. The number of
Scale to measure variety seeking (Zuckerman, 2014),
people they followed on social media and the number
and a 13-item social media engagement scale (Khan,
of followers they reported varied greatly. Some shared
2017). Each item was accompanied by a 7-point
Likert-type scale.

Table 2. Social media use.

3.3. Procedure Frequency
Favourite social media site
Data were collected in large lecture classes from stu- Instagram 77
Twitter 55
dents at a mid-western U.S. university. These partici- Facebook 35
pants were chosen, not only for convenience, but also Snapchat 23
YouTube 9
for reasons stated above. Pinterest 6
Other (4 or less users) 12
Don’t use social media 18
Missing data 5
3.4. Analysis Time spent on social media weekly
less than three hours 35
Data analysis included descriptive statistics, reliability, 3-6 68
6-9 57
multivariate/univariate analysis of variance (M/ 9-12 44
ANOVA), and Student-Neuman-Kuels (SNK) post more than 12 h 31
Missing data 5
hoc test. How often they check social media each day
less than 5 times 46
6-10 times 62
11-15 times 37
4. Results 16-20 times 35
more than 20 times 56
Participants were 240 college students (147 males, 93 Missing data 4
Number of people they follow on social media
females; M age = 21.42; 10 married, 191 single, 14 None 10
other, 25 missing data). Participants’ ethnicity included 1–100 26
101–200 23
54 African-American, 12 Asian, 138 Caucasian, 17 His- 201–300 25
panic and 19 other from ∼50 different majors. 301–400 15
401–500 24
501–999 62
More than 1000 22
4.1. Preliminary analysis Missing data 33
Number of followers on social media
None 12
Descriptive statistics and reliability are shown in 1–100 28
Table 1. Participants were segmented into four fashion 101–200 15
201–300 30
innovativeness groups based on the mean and standard 301–400 9
deviation (fashion innovators n = 46; early adopters n = 401–500 15
68; late adopters n = 64; reluctant adopters n = 47). 501–999 57
More than 1000 42
Missing data 32
How often they share fashion styles on social media
Table 1. Descriptive statistics and reliability for measures: Always 12
Fashion innovativeness, SME-Search, SME-Share, SME- Very frequently 4
entertain, need for variety. Frequently 23
Occasionally 43
Observed Reliability
Rarely 51
Mean SD Range Cronbach’s α
Very rarely 24
Fashion 33.47 15.07 9–63 .96 Never 73
Innovativeness Missing data 10
SME-Search 16.82 8.85 4–28 .83 Own fashion blog?
SME-Share 10.59 5.98 3–21 .96 Yes 17
SME-Entertain 23.76 10.41 6–42 .90 No 212
Need for Variety 46.61 8.65 10–70 .74 Missing data 11
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FASHION DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION 115

their fashion styles on social media sites. Seventeen par- Table 3. ANOVA results for SEM-Search, SME-Share, SME-
ticipants had their own fashion blog. Entertain, and need for variety by fashion innovativeness and
gender.
Mean
4.3. Hypothesis testing Scale Mean SD Square F p<
SME-Search
MANOVA was conducted with gender and fashion Fashion 1466.16 36.19 .000
innovativeness
innovativeness groups as independent variables; depen- Fashion M = 25.78 a
(SD = 3.10)
dent variables were SME-search, SME-share, SME- innovators
entertain and need for variety. There were significant Early adopters M = 19.72b (SD = 5.82)
Late adopters M = 14.39c (SD = 6.34)
effects for fashion innovativeness group on all four Reluctant M = 08.11d (SD = 9.54)
dependent variables [F (12, 648) = 12.71; p < .000]. adopters
Gender 575.62 14.20 .000
There were also significant effects for gender on the Men M = 14.11 (SD = 7.77)
dependent variables [F (4, 214) = 7.80; p < .000]. The Women M = 21.30 (SD = 8.69)
SME-Share
interaction between gender and fashion innovativeness Fashion 1097.99 81.04 .000
group on social media engagement and need for variety innovativeness
a
Fashion M = 17.78 (SD = 3.08)
was not significant. innovators
ANOVA (p < .000) revealed fashion innovativeness Early adopters M = 12.75b (SD = 4.36)
was significant for SME-search, SME-share, SME-enter- Late adopters M = 8.41c (SD = 4.28)
Reluctant M = 4.15d (SD = 2.40)
tain and need for variety. Post hoc tests compared adopters
means for SME-search, SME-share, SME-entertain and Gender 92.15 6.80 .010
Men M = 8.81 (SD = 5.43)
need for variety (Table 3). Each fashion innovativeness Women M = 13.59 (SD = 5.68)
group differed from all other fashion innovativeness SME-Entertain
Fashion 2088.07 43.75 .000
groups in SME-search, SME-share, and SME-entertain. innovativeness
a
Regarding need for variety, fashion innovators scored Fashion M = 34.37 (SD = 5.73)
innovators
highest, followed by early and late adopters (who did Early adopters M = 27.01b (SD = 8.11)
not differ from one another), followed by reluctant Late adopters M = 21.92c (SD = 8.58)
adopters. H1, H2, H3, and H4 were supported. Reluctant M = 12.59d (SD = 6.41)
adopters
Women engaged in social media use more than men Gender 1304.07 27.32 .000
for SME-search, SME-share, and SME-entertain (p Men M = 19.89 (SD = 9.35)
Women M = 30.20 (SD = 8.80)
< .000) but not in need for variety. H5, H6, H7 and Need for Variety
H8 were supported. Fashion 545.22 7.37 .000
innovativeness
ANOVA was conducted to compare women and men Fashion M = 49.67c
(SD = 6.28)
on fashion innovativeness. Women (M = 40.53, SD = innovators
Early adopters M = 44.16a (SD = 6.94)
14.15) scored higher on fashion innovativeness than Late adopters M = 43.19ab (SD = 8.53)
men (M = 28.99, SD = 13.91) [F (1, 235) = 38.22, p Reluctant M = 40.11b (SD = 11.89)
< .000]. H9 was supported. adopters
Gender 3.60 .05 .826
Men M = 43.51 (SD = 9.81)
Women M = 45.13 (SD = 7.75)
5. Discussion Note: Means sharing the same superscript did not differ significantly (Stu-
dent-Newman-Keuls post hoc test). SD = standard deviation
This research studied social media use among a group of
Gen Zers and compared social media engagement and
need for variety among fashion innovativeness groups impacting others’ purchasing decisions. This is consist-
and genders. First, results showed that this group of ent with previous studies that found fashion influencers
Gen Zers was highly involved with social media on a affected consumers purchasing of fashion products
daily basis, checking social media sites, following other (Farivar et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2022).
users, and sharing information with other users. A Moreover, fashion innovators had a greater need for
very small number (18/240) of this group indicated variety than later adopter groups. This need for variety
they did not use social media at all. was measured as a need for mental stimulation and
Second, results indicated that fashion innovators had results were consistent with previous research (Work-
a greater engagement with social media (searching, man & Johnson, 1993).
sharing, and entertainment). Fashion innovators (both Third, consistent with recent statistics women were
women and men) share their personal opinions and rec- more engaged with social media than men (Social
ommendations about new fashion styles, potentially media use, 2017; Statista, 2020b). Women and men
116 J. E. WORKMAN ET AL.

were similar in need for variety. Perhaps women and products they want, share the styles with others, and
men access different social media sites to satisfy their enjoy being entertained via social media. Identifying
need for mental stimulation, for example, men may fashion innovators who can attract this consumer
access games and music and women may access group’s attention can be part of a company’s pro-
fashion-related sites–consistent with findings that motional plan to increase their influence, sales, and/or
women are higher in fashion innovativeness than men. customer engagement.
Fashion companies can work to promote separate
strategies that cater to each gender’s need for variety,
6. Implications for example, offering more styles for women and pro-
6.1. Theoretical implications viding more colour and size selections (even for a simi-
lar style) for men. In terms of targeting new male
From a theoretical perspective, this study contributes to customers, a useful strategy for fashion companies is
fashion literature by illuminating the social media to add promotional materials to videos and games that
engagement of an important consumer group–Gen men are likely to view when using social media.
Zers. Comparison of fashion groups (fashion innova-
tors, early adopters, late adopters, reluctant adopters)
and genders added to further understanding about 6.3. Educational implications
Gen Zers and their consumption behaviour.
For fashion educators who are training future fashion
Results support the SME theory that proposes user
practitioners (retailers, manufacturers, designers, sty-
engagement results in need satisfaction (Di Gangi &
lists), this study provides guidance for training fashion
Wasko, 2016). Results are consistent with need for var-
students about strategically engaging in social media
iety as a basic psychological need as proposed by
use. Social media can be a starting point for students
Bagheri and Milyavskaya (2020) within the context of
to create their own brand or start a new business.
Basic Psychological Needs Theory. Results support Van-
With the proper training, they will engage in social
steenkiste et al. (2010) suggestion that future research
media systematically, professionally, and to share per-
on BPNT investigate both domain-general and
sonal styles and/or interact with fashion followers.
domain-specific measures of need satisfaction.
Fashion programmes can develop courses related to
Domain-specific areas requiring further investigation
social media branding and social media digital mer-
are fashion innovativeness and social media engage-
chandising which can reach Gen Zers and future gener-
ment. Results also are consistent with the U&G frame-
ations who are heavily engaged in social media.
work (Blumler & Katz, 1974) by describing how social
media engagement gratifies users’ needs and discover-
ing a possible motive for social media engagement,
Disclosure statement
that is, a need for variety.
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

6.2. Managerial implications

ORCID
Gen Zers are heavily involved with social media. Among
Gen Zers there are fashion innovators and later adop- Yuli Liang http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5697-2234
ters. From the marketing implications of using social
media to create profit comes a useful strategy for fashion
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