Digital Communication Innovation of Food Waste Using the AISAS Approach: Evidence from Indonesian Adolescents
1. Introduction
Food waste is a decrease in food consumption caused by the decisions and actions of consumers, businesses, and other food service providers [1]. The world’s growing population renders it challenging not only to produce more food but to feed more people while wasting less. However, in everyday life, most individuals are believed to have thrown food away at some point. The most common habits observed include placing more food on the plate than the stomach can hold or leaving milk in the fridge for too long, causing it to spoil [2]; food wastage was further exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic due to restrictions on consumer movement and transportation [1,3,4].
In 2019, approximately 931 million tons of food, or 17 percent of the total food available to consumers, was reported to end up in the trash [5]. Indonesia ranks first among countries with the highest food waste production in Southeast Asia, amounting to 20.93 million tons annually [5]. Vegetables, rice, meat, fish, and dairy products are the five most common types of food waste in Indonesia [6]. According to a study conducted in China, 74% of the 9192 university students had produced plate waste in the canteens and each student had produced 61.03 g of food waste [7]. The results of a study conducted on students at a university in the United States also showed that at least 80.5% of students often throw away food waste with an average of 17.9 g of food waste [8] A large amount of food waste is not only a social and economic problem but also an environmental and health concern [9]. Food that goes to landfills and decomposes produces methane, an even more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide [10], and excess greenhouse gases, such as methane, carbon dioxide, and chlorofluorocarbons, heat the Earth’s atmosphere, causing global warming and climate change [8,11,12]. This can cause the Earth’s average temperature to rise, and the liquids to start to evaporate. High temperatures can cause glaciers and sea ice to actively melt over short periods of time. The melting of the polar ice caps can cause sea levels to rise and submerge coastal lands [13]. Such large amounts of food waste will have a significant impact on the environment. In 2012, the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN) further explained the negative impact of food waste on the environmental, economic, and social fields. The negative environmental impacts of food waste include greenhouse-gas emissions, soil degradation, water resource waste, and excess energy consumption. The negative impact of food waste on the economy causes the value of food to depreciate and increases the cost of agricultural land. limited access to food is the negative social impact of food waste [14].
The problem of food waste has yet to receive special attention in Indonesia [15]. Spending habits and low consumer knowledge and awareness of the economic, environmental, and other consequences of food waste further exacerbate this phenomenon [16,17]. Studies conducted in China revealed that the majority of university students’ diets contributed to their tendency to throw away remaining food [18]. Previous research states that one method that can be used by university canteens to minimize food waste is to serve food without using trays [8,19]. However, the most important thing is how to raise consumer awareness of the dangers of food waste. An effort to increase consumer knowledge and awareness involves campaigns on the Internet through social media [20]. Data from the Association of Indonesian Internet Providers (APJII) for 2021–2022 show that the number of Indonesians connected to the Internet has reached 210 million out of a total population of approximately 272 million. This number was dominated by the age group of 19–34 years, given students’ predominant reliance on online resources for their academic work [21].
The high number of Internet users in the student age group provides an opportunity to increase the knowledge and awareness regarding food waste. One way of engaging the masses in the current era is, therefore, to use digital technology to disseminate knowledge through electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication [22,23,24]. EWOM refers to oral or written communication in which information is shared through digital social media with the wider community [25].
Consumers play an important role in knowledge dissemination [26]. Apart from social media, campaigns to share knowledge and information about food waste in Indonesia are also conducted by consumers through commercial and non-commercial organizations and communities. Garda Pangan, EcoBali, The Hunger Bank, the Brotherhood, the Foodbank of Indonesia, and the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS) are some of them. The IAAS is one of the communities closest to students because it is located in an on-campus environment. The IAAS has spread across 11 universities in Indonesia with more than 1000 active members. Knowledge sharing within an organizational environment can affect the competence and discipline of members and create values that will be embraced by members within [27,28,29].
The increasing number of Internet users and the sharing of knowledge and information by consumers encourages the development of a consumer behavior model from the traditional Attention, Interest, Desire, Memory, and Action (AIDMA) model to an Attention, Interest, Search, Action, and Share (AISAS) one. These processes in the AISAS model accommodate the emergence of interactive media in activities related to searching for and sharing information [30]. Transforming conventional campaigns into digital campaigns is an effective task in this era of sophisticated technological development. Environmental issues that are developing due to factual conditions, one of which is the issue of food waste, need to be accommodated effectively by carrying out a digital campaign to produce an impact on sustainable consumption behavior patterns. The AISAS model analyzes changes in multimedia and online communication to anticipate the various behaviors of a person in the current era [31]. In this case, the AISAS model has been proven to be capable of effectively approaching the target audience by observing changes in behavior using technological advances. Thus, the AISAS model is appropriate for examining the effectiveness of digital campaigns on knowledge sharing related to the issue of food waste.
Research on the AISAS model has been conducted in several fields. In previous research, the AISAS model was used to examine the effectiveness of communication in e-commerce [32], the role of influencers on social media [33], and online tourist behavior [34]. The results of previous studies indicate that the linear path of the AISAS model is noteworthy and has a significant effect. However, in previous research, the use of the AISAS model in social marketing campaigns was notably limited, especially in the environmental sector—and most notably, in the realm of food waste. The stages of the AISAS model process, from attention to sharing, can proceed sequentially. One process is likely repeatedly passed or skipped [30]. The AISAS model used in previous research also tended to analyze the data in sequential order; therefore, Conducting research on food waste knowledge sharing using the AISAS model with both linear and non-linear sequencing is vital for a broader, comprehensive understanding of its influence and utility for reducing food waste. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the effects of attention, interest, search, and action on knowledge sharing related to the issue of food waste.
3. Research Method
3.1. Design and Location
This study used a cross-sectional design and a survey method. This research was conducted at two universities with the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS) student activity units located on and outside Java Island. The IAAS was chosen as the research setting because it is an international-scale student organization in agriculture that was running a campaign program on reducing food waste, at the time of this study.
3.2. The Sampling Technique
The population in this study comprised student members and non-members of the IAAS community at two universities selected based on randomization. In this study, members of the IAAS community are referred to as food waste community members, whereas non-IAAS community members are referred to as non-food waste community members. Universities with the IAAS communities were categorized into two groups: those in Java Island and those outside Java Island. Furthermore, one university from each group was selected to represent its location. The sampling technique used in this study was voluntary sampling because the participants voluntarily filled out a questionnaire given to the head of each community. The IAAS member student group was obtained by voluntary sampling of 93 students, whereas the non-member IAAS student group at the same university was randomly selected from three communities each. Non-IAAS members were also obtained through voluntary sampling of 209 students. In this study, the sample size was adjusted to the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis model used. The sample in this study finally amounted to 302 students because the limit for the sample size in the SEM was 200–800 persons.
3.3. The Research Instrument
Data were collected through a questionnaire developed with a five-point Likert scale. The AISAS model which includes the variables of attention, interest, search, action, and knowledge-sharing behavior (share) was employed to examine participant behaviors regarding the five variables. The attention and interest variable questionnaire was developed and modified by Sugiyama and Andree [30] and Abdurrahim et al. [38] and has six indicators. The search variable questionnaire was developed and modified from Sugiyama and Andree [30] and Abdurrahim et al. [38], and has six indicators. The action variable questionnaire was developed and modified by Sugiyama and Andree [30] and Abdurrahim et al. [38] and has four indicators. The behavioral knowledge sharing (shares) variable questionnaire was developed and modified by Sugiyama and Andree [30] and Abdurrahim et al. [38] and has five indicators.
3.4. Data Collection
Primary data were used in this study and were obtained directly from the sample through self-administration. Data regarding the variables studied were collected using an online questionnaire created using the Google Forms platform. The questionnaire was distributed to selected samples through various applications such as Line, WhatsApp, or email. The questionnaire contained an informed consent form so that there was agreement without coercion. The primary data included the five variables: attention, interest, search, action, and knowledge sharing (share), while the supporting variables included the demographic characteristics of the respondents (gender, age, ethnic origin, monthly allowance, individual monthly food expenses, and number of family members); reasons for joining or not participating in food waste communities; frequency of food waste in the past week; amount of food waste in one meal; and the main reasons for food waste behavior.
3.5. Data Analysis
The collected data were processed using Microsoft Office Excel, SPSS, and SEM PLS analysis using LISREL 8.80 software. SEM determines the effects of endogenous and exogenous latent variables, either directly or indirectly. Tests were conducted to analyze the influence of attention, interest, search, and action on knowledge sharing (share) related to food waste. The results for each variable were transformed into an index using the following formula [48]:
Description:
Index = indexed variable score,
Score earned = score obtained through examples based on measurement results,
Minimum score = minimum score on the instrument, and
Maximum score = maximum score on the instrument.
Variables that already had an index were then grouped into three categories based on the class interval of each variable, namely the low, medium and high categories. The cut offs in grouping the scale measurement were: the low category (index score < 60), the medium category (index score 60–80), and the high category (index score > 80).
The numbers resulting from the five variables were multiplied to obtain the Customer Response Index (CRI). This technique shows the audience’s reaction step by step, from the point of consumer awareness to the point at which it is possible to persuade them to act (in typical cases, to purchase) [49]. The CRI model was considered effective if the response stage exceeded 50 percent [50]. The following is a calculation formula and a representation of the CRI stage model [51], which was adapted to the AISAS model (Figure 4):
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Attention;
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Unattention;
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Uninterested = Attention × No Interest;
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Unsearch = Attention × Interest × No Search;
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Unaction = Attention × Interest × Search × No Action;
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Unshare = Attention × Interest × Search × Action × No Share;
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CRI = Attention × Interest × Search × Action × Share.
6. Research Implications
The results showed that information seeking and action directly influenced knowledge sharing regarding food waste issues. These linkages directly influence actions taken to reduce food waste. Searching for information related to the issue of food waste is directly influenced by attention and interest, and interest is directly influenced by attention. The results show that the AISAS model runs linearly as well as non-linearly; therefore, all components in the model must be considered because they greatly influence one another.
Based on the findings of this study, activist organizations such as Garda Pangan, EcoBali, The Hunger Bank, the Brotherhood, the Foodbank of Indonesia, the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS), and other activists must make further efforts to address the issue of food waste, both commercial and non-commercial. The dissemination of information on the existence of a community of activists on environmental issues, especially food waste, needs to be carried out more intensively because, from the distribution of research results, 71.29 percent of students were not aware of the existence of the IAAS as a community on campus that focuses on environmental issues. In this era of technological development, food waste issue activists must understand that digital campaigns are very effective because they target various groups and are not limited by time and distance. This approach needs to be undertaken continuously to attract public attention, apart from the intensity of variations in content packaged through audiovisual methods and inviting various influencers to engage in eWOM [65]. Information provided by well-known influencers can become increasingly trusted and attract more attention, if it is effectively conducted to attract the attention of consumers. Consumer attention is the key to attracting consumers, driving them to seek further information, take action to reduce food waste, and share knowledge and experience, to contribute to the issue of food waste. Consumer attention is the key to attracting consumers, corroborating the findings that attention directly affects interest. Seeking further information is thus a form of attention and interest that affects information-seeking. Furthermore, taking action to reduce food waste corroborates the fact of interest directly affecting action. Sharing knowledge or experience of contributing to the issue of food waste corroborates the findings that information search and interest directly affect knowledge sharing. In addition, when purchasing products that generate waste, socialization is necessary for better waste management [66].
Knowledge sharing on food waste issues appears to be extremely low; consumers tend to be reluctant to share their knowledge or experience of food waste issues. Education for consumers regarding the emphasis on environmental issues and the role of consumers as agents of change needs to be strengthened. Consumers need to realize that small actions such as sharing their knowledge and experiences regarding environmental issues will impact and attract the attention of other consumers to be equally sensitive to the environment and bring about changes in consumption patterns in a more sustainable manner. This is an implication of the results, which show that actions directly affect knowledge sharing. The role of the regulator, in this case the Ministry of Environment and Forestry as the government, is needed for collaborating with all environmental activists to oversee the issue of food waste by issuing well-packaged programs. Awareness and education campaigns can lower the demand for purchases and the amount of waste dumped in landfills [67]. Massive campaigns in the form of advertising on the issue of food waste are effectively carried out by elaborating campaign issues into trends that are currently developing among the public and are presented attractively, starting from campaign content, audio, and visuals, to persuasive slogans that can attract public attention. Additionally, campaigns are conducted to build public curiosity so that people seek further information as well as informative campaigns that can inspire the public to contribute to the reduction in food waste through their actions. Thus, campaigns are not just to attract the attention of the public but as a source of driving change in people’s lifestyles in a sustainable direction. This implication is a necessary response to the result that attention and interest directly influence information seeking. In addition, attention directly influences interest, and interest directly influences action—a finding that must be leveraged in order to induce more concrete behaviors against food wastage.
8. Conclusions
This study found significant differences in attention, interest, search, action, and sharing between community members in the fields of food and non-food waste. Student community members in the food waste field were found to pay attention, feel interested, seek further information, and exchange information related to food waste on the Internet. The execution of behaviors to reduce daily food waste was also conducted. Research shows that students are exposed to a large amount of information on food waste and are sufficiently concerned with the information contained in the exposure. This attention has also aroused interest in finding deeper information about the food waste obtained. After extracting information, students were encouraged to apply it in their daily lives by consuming the food that is served, taking food portions according to their abilities, and buying food according to their needs. The experience gained from implementing behaviors to reduce food waste is sufficient to encourage students to share knowledge on the Internet, even though it is still in the low category.
The results showed that attention has a direct effect on interest and information seeking; interest has a direct effect on information seeking and action; information seeking has a direct effect on knowledge sharing on food waste issues; and action has a direct effect on knowledge sharing on food waste issues. The results of this study prove that the AISAS model can be executed both linearly and non-linearly. AISAS non-linearity is established from the findings of the effect of attention on search and interest in action. Attention was found to have a significant positive direct effect on search without the need to go through an interesting process. Interest was also found to have a significant positive direct effect on action without the need to go through the information search process. Consumers’ knowledge sharing can provide new information to many people and can be reached more widely through digital communication innovations. This can enable digital communication innovation to grow through the delivery of information in the form of digital media, which is attractive and easy to understand. In addition, it can measure the performance of the information conveyed, and whether it can be received and responded to properly through the growing features of digital communication.
Recommendations
The results showed that the attention and search of student members in the non-food waste community was low. Additionally, knowledge sharing (share) among students of the two communities could be higher. Attention can be generated through the design attractiveness of various food waste campaign media. Based on the results of this study, many students sought information on nutritional adequacy according to their daily needs. Therefore, search can be encouraged by increasing the information related to nutritional adequacy on the Internet. A food waste campaign up to the sharing stage still needs to be more effective. This can be improved by increasing knowledge sharing related to food waste by enriching the experiences and information on reducing food waste, so that more information can be shared with others. The inculcation of food values has been reported to not be widely accepted by students from an early age. There needs to be an inculcation of value towards food so that they can be accustomed to appreciating food and minimizing food waste from an early age.
