Exploring the impact of parasocial interactions with digital entrepreneurial influencers on higher vocational students’ entrepreneurial intention: empirical evidence from China

Abstract

Purpose This study proposes a novel digital entrepreneurial model to examine the effect of parasocial interactions with social media digital entrepreneurial influencers (PIs) on students’ digital entrepreneurial self-efficacy (DESE) and then digital entrepreneurial intention (DEI). Meanwhile, it aims to investigate the moderating role of digital competencies (DC) and perceived creativity (PC) between DESE and DEI. Design/methodology/approach Ground by social cognitive career theory (SCCT), this study surveyed 406 higher vocational college students in China using a cross-sectional network. The research model and related hypotheses are tested using the software Smart-pls 4.0. Findings The empirical findings confirm the positive effect of PIs on DESE. As expected, DESE positively and significantly affects DEI. This study also unveils DC and PC’s positive moderating role between DESE and DEI among higher vocational college students. Originality/value Drawing upon SCCT, it is one of the few studies focussing on the role of social media digital entrepreneurial influencers, empirically examining the effect of PIs on DESE and DEI among higher vocational students. Thus, it provides new insight into understanding the psychological influence mechanisms of digital entrepreneurial influencers on students’ digital entrepreneurship. Besides, it sheds light on the role of DC and PC in digital entrepreneurship and emphasises the need for educational institutions to cultivate these capabilities in students.

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