Social Image Mediating Social Influence Mobile Payment Intention Higher Education Extended UTAUT2 Framework

Abstract

The increasing adoption of mobile payment has highlighted the need to understand the behavioral mechanisms that influence users' technology acceptance beyond traditional technological factors. This study aims to examine the mediating role of social image in the relationship between social influence and mobile payment intention using the Extended UTAUT2 framework. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 312 higher education students with prior mobile payment experience, and the data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that social influence significantly affects mobile payment intention (β = 0.243, p < 0.001) and social image (β = 0.687, p < 0.001), while social image significantly influences mobile payment intention (β = 0.541, p < 0.001) and partially mediates the relationship (β = 0.372, p < 0.001). This study extends the UTAUT2 framework by incorporating social image as a mediating construct and provides practical insights for universities and FinTech providers to develop socially driven strategies that encourage sustainable mobile payment adoption.