This master’s thesis explores the factors that lead members of Generation Z to unfollow brand profiles on social networking sites. Its aim is to understand how members of Generation Z perceive and interpret their decision to unfollow brands and to examine the role of dissatisfaction with brand content, social media fatigue, fear of missing out, identity and value (in)congruence with brands, and social influences in this process. The theoretical part examines the role of social networking sites in marketing communication, the practices of following and unfollowing brands, influencers, and user communities, and frames unfollowing through uses and gratifications theory, the concept of social media discontinuance, and parasocial interaction theory. The empirical part adopts a qualitative approach to explore how members of Generation Z experience and justify their decision to unfollow. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six members of Generation Z who had unfollowed at least one brand within the last year and were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show that unfollowing is not driven by a single factor, but rather by the interplay of content-related, psychological, identity-related, value-related, and social factors. Although the act of unfollowing is typically quick and may appear impulsive, it often represents the culmination of a longer process of growing dissatisfaction with brand content and declining interest. Participants primarily understand unfollowing as an individual decision related to managing their digital environment and curating content in line with their interests, needs, and values. In cases of pronounced value or ethical incongruence, however, unfollowing may also serve as an expression of disagreement with a brand and become part of a broader collective response.
|
