The social phenomenon of “flexing” on social media, which serves as a form of peer influence and public display of opulent social status, has emerged in digital culture in recent years. This trend is driven by materialistic consumerism and the convenient provision of instant gratification that social media platforms provide. This social occurrence, often referred to as “flex culture” on social media, is not well understood, and the factors constituting this social phenomenon remain unclear. Previous studies have not adequately addressed the understanding of this culture, primarily focusing on the fashion industry. Furthermore, prior research has not investigated how flex culture influences the impulse buying behaviour of generation Z consumers who encounter this culture on social media in Singapore. This thesis seeks to explain what flex culture is, how it influences social media users’ hedonic motivations especially on the aspect of being socially recognised and validated, and how this impacts online impulse purchasing. This research deployed an exploratory sequential design consisting of a mixed method approach. The first study used a qualitative semi-structured interview of 30 generation Z individuals to examine and explain this social phenomenon by drawing theoretical grounding from consumer culture theory (CCT). The second study systematically utilised the findings of Study 1 to investigate using a quantitative survey of 319 generation Z respondents and structural equation modelling (SEM) to test and validate the proposed hypothetical model, explaining the relationship between flex culture, hedonic motivation and online impulse buying. Through focusing on a specific age reference group as a benchmark for social comparison, the findings reveal that flex culture is an outcome-oriented self-praising act using the deliberate display of opulence. Exposure to flex culture invokes social validation among consumers on social media. It stimulates hedonic motivation through social validation that is affected by envy and encourages consumers to buy more impulsively. By explaining the concept of flex culture and its implications as an emerging digital consumer culture impacting social interactions and driving consumerism, these results extends the knowledge of consumer culture theory which highlighted the creation of online identity based on consumption habits. It also enhance our understanding of the consumptive social media behaviours of generation Z, as well as enriching our understanding of the concept of hedonic motivation based on theories of social recognition and social validation. The study offers valuable insights for marketing strategies that utilise social media influencers to effectively target generation Z, while mitigating obnoxious behaviours. This research enhances the understanding of identity construction, consumer identity and brand loyalty, while offering additional knowledge for the interpretation of status signalling, suggesting the difference between conspicuous consumption and flex culture. It includes the understanding of consumer welfare and digital wellness from the exposure to flex culture. Contributions to current knowledge including methodological and practice, limitation of this research are discussed, and suggestions for future research are recommended.
The extent of flex culture as a form of hedonic motivation that influences the online impulse purchasing of generation Z in Singapore
Tan, P. (Author). 2025
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis