ABSTRACT
The study aims to identify individuals’ tendencies to exhibit virtue signaling in social media and the key motivations driving this behavior. The study was structured using a correlational survey model and an exploratory approach. The population of the research consists of students from Kocaeli University, and the sample comprises 1,166 students. Data were collected through an online questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS Version 27. The findings revealed that one in three members (33.6%) of Generation Z pursuing university education exhibits virtue signaling on social media. The motivational factors driving individuals toward this passive behavior are, respectively, as follows: “Interpersonal anxiety and perceived dependency,”, “the desire to show to others how sensitive one is”, “the need for appreciation”, “concerns about reputation”, “fear of losing followers on social media”, “the tendency to immediately share content about trending issues”, “the sense of well-being derived from posting about publicly discussed problems”, “the feeling of obligation to share about current issues”, “concern about being perceived as indifferent when not posting about trending topics”, and “the tendency to share about current issues on social media despite not wanting to”. These identified motivational factors have been found to increase the tendency toward virtue signaling.