The Rise of the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) Market in Turkey: The Effect of Social Media Interaction and the Need for Uniqueness on NFT Purchase Intention*

Abstract With the spread of crypto assets, Non-Fungible Token (NFT) technology has become more and more discussed on social media platforms. The idea of uniqueness is in the background of the NFT technology used to make digital assets tradable and registerable. This study investigates the effect of consumers’ social media interaction and the need for uniqueness on NFT purchase intention. The research data was collected from 488 consumers who follow NFT purchasing sites. The results highlight the critical role of the need for uniqueness to leverage the NFT purchase intention. Analyzes were made with SPSS and AMOS statistical package programs. The validity and reliability of the scales used were tested and found to have acceptable values. The study tested possible cause-and-effect relationships between all variables using structural equation modeling. According to the findings, social media interaction, creative choice, unpopular choice, and similarity avoidance positively and significantly affected purchasing intention.