<![CDATA[This study examines the associations between digital access, exposure to “Marriage Is Scary” (MIS) content on TikTok, and marriage readiness among Generation Z in Binjai City, Indonesia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 287 never-married TikTok users aged 20–29 years, selected through purposive sampling with proportional quotas. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and bootstrapping mediation analysis with 5,000 resamples using the PROCESS Macro for SPSS. Digital access was positively associated with MIS exposure (β = 0.47, p < 0.001), explaining 22% of the variance. MIS exposure was negatively associated with marriage readiness (β = −0.41, p < 0.001), explaining 17% of the variance. A significant indirect effect of digital access on marriage readiness through MIS exposure was identified (β = −0.19, 95% CI [−0.27, −0.11]), while the direct effect was not significant (β = −0.09, p = 0.129). Spatial analysis revealed subdistrict-level variation, with Binjai Kota recording the highest levels of MIS exposure and marriage readiness, while Binjai Barat recorded the lowest. Financial readiness was the weakest dimension of marriage readiness (mean = 2.4). The sample was predominantly female (61.3%), while 48.8% had completed senior high school and 54.4% were employed. These findings indicate that digital access, algorithmically mediated content exposure, and geographical context are interconnected in shaping marriage-related perceptions among Generation Z. The study highlights the value of integrating media geography into research on digitally mediated social attitudes. Given the cross-sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as associative rather than causal.]]>
