THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING AND ITS IMPACT ON THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: BUSINESS DECISIONS IN DIGITAL CULTURE

Abstract

The rise of social networks has reconfigured the processes of value creation and decision-making in companies that are transitioning towards circular economy (CE) models. This article presents an integrative review (2020–2025) and proposes a digital–circular marketing (MD-C) decision framework that connects engagement, authenticity, and trust metrics with business outcomes (brand equity, loyalty, and performance) and with environmental outcomes (waste reduction and product life extension). The findings show that (I) CE is transforming marketing theory by incorporating "people, planet and benefits" as stimuli of the mix, (II) credibility, authenticity and perceived sustainability in social content predict consumer behaviors, and (III) direct brand communication on green initiatives outperforms influencer-mediated communication in effectiveness when there is coherence between discourse and practice. Management implications and a research agenda are discussed. (Mostaghel, Oghazi & Lisboa, 2023; Silveira, Sandes, Xara-Brasil & Menezes, 2024; Martín-Cervantes, Ziarati, de Frutos Madrazo & Gigauri, 2025; Kothari et al., 2025).