Now or Later: Synchrony Effects on Electronic Word-of-Mouth Content
Sogut, Cansu, Frédéric Brunel, and Barbara Bickart (2015) “Now or Later: Synchrony Effects on Electronic Word-of-Mouth Content” in Consumer Psychology in a Social Media World, Eds. Claudiu Dimofte, Curtis Haugtvedt, and Richard Yalch, Routledge Publishers: London and New York.
29 Pages Posted: 14 Jan 2015 Last revised: 2 Jun 2016
Date Written: December 5, 2014
Abstract
This research investigates how consumers’ electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) about consumption experiences is affected by whether the message is shared simultaneously during the experience or retrospectively, that is, after the experience has occurred. Building on the theories of synchrony, we suggest that two separates paths may impact the content of eWOM: (i) synchrony with social others and (ii) synchrony with the experience. In two field studies of tweets posted during televised events, our findings suggest that relative to retrospective messages, simultaneously shared messages are more likely to be associated with communal orientation, presumably due to an augmented feeling of synchrony with social others, even though these social others are not directly taking part in the consumption experience. In addition, we find that simultaneously shared messages have more affective content than those posted retrospectively, presumably due to synchrony with the experience. Based on these findings, we suggest that encouraging eWOM sharing during experiences can lead to an enhanced sense of community and engagement around the experience.
Keywords: consumer behavior, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), synchrony, affect, emotion, community, Twitter, social media
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