Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate how IT may facilitate green consumption. Leveraging the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the study proposes a framework to analyze the challenges consumers face in green consumption decisions. Challenges are identified in three dimensions: attitude formation, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. This framework can be generalized to various consumption scenarios, and help researchers as well as application designers identify context specific challenges. The study then explains how IT applications/features may address the challenges. Social networking features enable individuals to go beyond their real world networks and connect with online friends who share the environmental concerns. Accordingly, the pool of relevant others changes, and individuals are more likely to be encouraged to consume environmentally friendly. Platforms of user generated contexts enable individuals to share their experiences and exert influence on others, and thus enhance individual?s motivation for green consumption. The conceptual arguments are illustrated with a case study on Seafood Watch, which demonstrates how IT helps with ocean friendly fish consumption.

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