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From Social Media to Generative AI: The Layering of Digital Mediation in Algerian Consumers’ Food Choices and Shopping Experiences

by Kamel Chikhi, Mounsif Charaf-Eddine Bendidjelloul, and Adel Sidi-Yakhlef

Posted: September 2, 2026
Server: Preprints.org
DOI: 10.20944/preprints202609.0105.v1

This study investigates the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in consumers’ food-related decision-making and its relationship with established social-media-mediated practices in e-commerce. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Algeria in 2025 and generated 223 valid responses. 39.5% of respondents reported using AI, with ChatGPT making up 87.5% of applications reported by AI users. AI users experienced greater satisfaction with AI-related food experiences than non-users (Mann–Whitney U = 7,840.00, p < .001). However, AI use was not significantly associated with food purchasing after social-media exposure (p = .987). Social-media-mediated food discovery and purchasing practices remained prevalent, with no evidence of displacement by AI in the present sample. The findings conceptualize AI-assisted food choice as an additional layer of digital mediation in an established multi-source consumption environment and contribute evidence on AI-augmented consumer behavior to the under-researched Algerian context.

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