Determinants of consumer engagement in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites

TLDR

Social media is increasingly used in marketing, making it essential to study what drives consumer engagement in electronic word‑of‑mouth on social networks. This study investigates how social relationship factors influence eWOM transmission on platforms such as Facebook, MySpace, and Friendster. A conceptual model linking tie strength, homophily, trust, normative influence, and informational influence to eWOM behavior in SNSs was developed and tested. Tie strength, trust, normative and informational influence positively predict eWOM, while homophily has a negative effect; the study highlights the unique social implications of product‑focused eWOM and informs researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.

Abstract

As more and more marketers incorporate social media as an integral part of the promotional mix, rigorous investigation of the determinants that impact consumers' engagement in eWOM via social networks is becoming critical. Given the social and communal characteristics of social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, MySpace and Friendster, this study examines how social relationship factors relate to eWOM transmitted via online social websites. Specifically, a conceptual model that identifies tie strength, homophily, trust, normative and informational interpersonal influence as an important antecedent to eWOM behaviour in SNSs was developed and tested. The results confirm that tie strength, trust, normative and informational influence are positively associated with users' overall eWOM behaviour, whereas a negative relationship was found with regard to homophily. This study suggests that product-focused eWOM in SNSs is a unique phenomenon with important social implications. The implications for researchers, practitioners and policy makers of social media regulation are discussed.