The role of self-construal in consumers’ electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites: A social cognitive approach

• Published in: Computers in human behavior Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 1054 - 1062
• Main Authors: Lee, Doohwang, Kim, Hyuk Soo, Kim, Jung Kyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Advertising. Marketing. Consume behavior; Applied psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition; Communities; Consumers; Electronic word of mouth; Electronics; Empowerment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human behavior; Internet; Mouth; On-line systems; Online; Online community; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Social cognitive theory; Social networking sites; Social Networks; Virtual Reality; Online community; Social networking sites; Social cognitive theory; Electronic word of mouth; Human; On line; Social network; Personality; Social cognition; Cognitive theory; Language; Consumer; Internet; Self concept; Web site; Community
• ISSN: 0747-5632; 1873-7692
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2012.01.009

► We examine how consumers’ self-construal affects electronic word of mouth (eWOM). ► eWOM behavior will increase when self-construal becomes interdependent. ► The effect is mediated through self-efficacy and social outcome expectations. The current study reconceptualized self-construal as a social cognitive indicator of self-observation that individuals employ for developing and maintaining social relationship with others. From the social cognitive perspective, this study investigated how consumers’ self-construal can affect consumers’ electronic word of mouth (eWOM) behavior through two cognitive factors (online community engagement self-efficacy and social outcome expectations) in the context of a social networking site. This study conducted an online experiment that directed 160 participants to visit a newly created online community. The results demonstrated that consumers’ relational view became salient when the consumers’ self-construal was primed to be interdependent rather than independent. Further, the results showed that such interdependent self-construal positively influenced consumers’ eWOM behavioral intentions through their community engagement self-efficacy and their social outcome expectations.