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Journals / İnternet Uygulamaları ve Yönetimi Dergisi / 2025 / Cilt: 16 Sayı: 2

Perceived Greenwashing in Social Media Advertising and Consumer Trust: An Experimental Study

Sosyal medya reklamlarında yeşil yıkama algısı ve tüketici güveni: deneysel bir çalışma

Şehnaz Okkıran(Gaziantep Üniversitesi)0000-0002-3026-7836
Pages
64–83
Publication Date
2025-12-31
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings indicate that sustainability discourses are predominantly presented in an informative and emotionally neutral tone.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This study examines the impact of perceived greenwashing in digital advertising on consumer trust.
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Key Findings & Data:Using the BrandMentions digital monitoring platform, a dataset of 10,012 sustainability-related posts was collected from various digital platforms in Türkiye between September 2024 and September 2025.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings indicate that sustainability discourses are predominantly presented in an informative and emotionally neutral tone.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2024 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Yeşil yıkama · dijital reklamcılık · tüketici güveni

Abstract

This study examines the impact of perceived greenwashing in digital advertising on consumer trust. The primary objective is to reveal how sustainability-themed messages are presented in social media environments and how they shape consumer trust and levels of engagement. Using the BrandMentions digital monitoring platform, a dataset of 10,012 sustainability-related posts was collected from various digital platforms in Türkiye between September 2024 and September 2025. The content was evaluated through sentiment analysis, risk categories (uncertainty, lack of evidence, false claims), and types of supporting evidence. The findings indicate that sustainability discourses are predominantly presented in an informative and emotionally neutral tone. Although relatively rare, negative content (e.g., criticism, skepticism) generated significantly more comments and shares, thereby fostering stronger audience engagement. Moreover, messages lacking concrete evidence or containing ambiguous statements were more likely to reduce consumer trust and reinforce perceptions of greenwashing. Clear differences were observed across platforms; overall, the results underscore that consumer trust plays a decisive role in sustainability communication and that transparent, verifiable messages strengthen this trust. The study provides both conceptual and practical contributions to understanding consumer behavior in the context of perceived greenwashing in digital advertising.

Özet

Bu çalışma, dijital reklamcılıkta algılanan yeşil yıkamanın tüketici güveni üzerindeki etkilerini incelemektedir. Araştırmanın amacı, sosyal medya ortamlarında sürdürülebilirlik temalı mesajların hangi biçimlerde sunulduğunu, tüketici güveni ve etkileşim düzeyini nasıl şekillendirdiğini ortaya koymaktır. Çalışmada, BrandMentions dijital izleme platformu aracılığıyla Eylül 2024–Eylül 2025 döneminde Türkiye’deki farklı dijital mecralardan 10.012 sürdürülebilirlik içerikli paylaşım toplanmıştır. İçerikler duygu analizi, risk kategorileri (belirsizlik, kanıt eksikliği, yanlış iddialar) ve kanıt türlerine göre değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular, sürdürülebilirlik söylemlerinin büyük ölçüde bilgilendirici ve duygusal vurgu içermeyen (nötr) bir tonda sunulduğunu göstermektedir. Nadir de olsa olumsuz içeriklerin (ör. eleştiri, şüphecilik) daha fazla yorum ve paylaşım alarak daha güçlü etkileşim yarattığı saptanmıştır. Ayrıca, somut kanıt sunmayan ya da belirsiz ifadeler içeren mesajların tüketici güvenini azaltma ve yeşil yıkama algısını güçlendirme olasılığının daha yüksek olduğu görülmüştür. Platformlar arası belirgin farklar bulunmuş; sonuçlar, tüketici güveninin sürdürülebilirlik iletişiminde belirleyici rol oynadığını ve şeffaf, doğrulanabilir mesajların güveni güçlendirdiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışma, dijital reklamcılıkta algılanan yeşil yıkamanın tüketici davranışlarını anlamada önemli bir kavramsal ve pratik katkı sunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Okkıran, Ş. (2025). Perceived Greenwashing in Social Media Advertising and Consumer Trust: An Experimental Study. İnternet Uygulamaları ve Yönetimi Dergisi, Cilt: 16 Sayı: 2, 64–83. https://doi.org/10.34231/iuyd.1789154

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