Social Media Influence and the Intention of College Students to Use ChatGPT for Calorie and Fitness Planning

Resumen

Social media platforms have become common spaces where college students exchange advice, share progress, and recommend digital tools for health, fitness, and diet planning. Within these communities, generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT are increasingly suggested as practical resources for creating personalized meal plans, estimating calorie deficits, and structuring workout routines. This study examined college students’ intention to use ChatGPT for calorie and fitness planning and investigated the roles of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social media exposure, social media norms, and trust in ChatGPT. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed, with data collected from 418 college students using an online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and mediation and moderation analyses were conducted. The results showed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly predicted intention to use ChatGPT. Social media exposure significantly predicted perceived usefulness and partially mediated the relationship between perceived usefulness and intention, indicating that peer-shared experiences and recommendations reinforce beliefs about ChatGPT’s value. Trust in ChatGPT had a significant direct effect on intention but did not moderate the relationship between social media exposure and intention. These suggest that adoption of ChatGPT for calorie and fitness planning is driven primarily by functional value and usability, with social media acting as a reinforcing mechanism rather than a direct determinant.