IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/abaman/v22y2023i5d10.1057_s41291-023-00221-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Information distortion in word-of-mouth retransmission: the effects of retransmitter intention and source expertise

Author

Listed:
  • Sung Youl Jun

    (Sogang University)

  • Tae Wook Ju

    (Daelim University College)

  • Hye Kyung Park

    (Ajou University)

  • Jacob C. Lee

    (Dongguk Business School, Dongguk University)

  • Tae Min Kim

    (Sogang University)

Abstract

Recently, word of mouth (WOM) has gained increasing strategic importance. The rising prevalence of communication via social media has made information retransmission through WOM a new norm. However, although several WOM studies have revealed that information becomes distorted as it is disseminated and that WOM retransmission tends to distort information, the phenomenon of information distortion in the WOM retransmission context remains relatively underexplored. This study examined the role of two key factors (retransmitter intention and source expertise) in WOM retransmission and how they influence the distortion of WOM information in terms of information sources and content. Two carefully designed experiments revealed that a retransmitter’s persuasive (vs. informative) intention increases (1) information distortion, including exaggeration of its content, and (2) information source distortion when the source has relatively less expertise. These findings expand the scholarly understanding of WOM communication and offer managerial insights into viral marketing strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Sung Youl Jun & Tae Wook Ju & Hye Kyung Park & Jacob C. Lee & Tae Min Kim, 2023. "Information distortion in word-of-mouth retransmission: the effects of retransmitter intention and source expertise," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(5), pages 1848-1876, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:abaman:v:22:y:2023:i:5:d:10.1057_s41291-023-00221-w
    DOI: 10.1057/s41291-023-00221-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41291-023-00221-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41291-023-00221-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jennifer J. Argo & Katherine White & Darren W. Dahl, 2006. "Social Comparison Theory and Deception in the Interpersonal Exchange of Consumption Information," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 33(1), pages 99-108, June.
    2. George Huber, 1982. "Organizational Information Systems: Determinants of Their Performance and Behavior," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(2), pages 138-155, February.
    3. Kapoor, Payal S. & M S, Balaji & Maity, Moutusy & Jain, Nikunj Kumar, 2021. "Why consumers exaggerate in online reviews? Moral disengagement and dark personality traits," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    4. Fabian Jintae Froese, 2020. "Ready for global success? Strengths and weaknesses of Korean HRM," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(2), pages 179-183, April.
    5. Sarah G. Moore & Brent McFerran, 2017. "She Said, She Said: Differential Interpersonal Similarities Predict Unique Linguistic Mimicry in Online Word of Mouth," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(2), pages 229-245.
    6. Cowley, Elizabeth, 2014. "Consumers telling consumption stories: Word-of-mouth and retrospective evaluations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(7), pages 1522-1529.
    7. Cindy Chung & Peter Darke, 2006. "The consumer as advocate: Self-relevance, culture, and word-of-mouth," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 269-279, December.
    8. Haichuan Zhao & Xian Cheng & Xingyuan Wang & Chunqing Qin, 2021. "Do brand micro-blogs entities’ interactivity enhance customer’s brand resonance? Evidence from China," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(3), pages 390-408, July.
    9. Snehasish Banerjee & Alton Y. K. Chua & Jung-Jae Kim, 2017. "Don't be deceived: Using linguistic analysis to learn how to discern online review authenticity," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 68(6), pages 1525-1538, June.
    10. Eduardo B. Andrade & Teck-Hua Ho, 2009. "Gaming Emotions in Social Interactions," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 36(4), pages 539-552, December.
    11. Petty, Richard E & Cacioppo, John T & Schumann, David, 1983. "Central and Peripheral Routes to Advertising Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Involvement," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 10(2), pages 135-146, September.
    12. Edward J. Russo & Kurt A. Carlson & Margaret G. Meloy & Kevyn Yong, 2008. "The goal of consistency as a cause of information distortion," Post-Print hal-00481326, HAL.
    13. Brown, Jacqueline Johnson & Reingen, Peter H, 1987. "Social Ties and Word-of-Mouth Referral Behavior," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 14(3), pages 350-362, December.
    14. David Dubois & Derek D. Rucker & Zakary L. Tormala, 2011. "From Rumors to Facts, and Facts to Rumors: The Role of Certainty Decay in Consumer Communications," Post-Print hal-00653241, HAL.
    15. Joseph Henrich & Steve J. Heine & Ara Norenzayan, 2010. "The Weirdest People in the World?," RatSWD Working Papers 139, German Data Forum (RatSWD).
    16. Frenzen, Jonathan & Nakamoto, Kent, 1993. "Structure, Cooperation, and the Flow of Market Information," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 20(3), pages 360-375, December.
    17. Christian Resick & Gillian Martin & Mary Keating & Marcus Dickson & Ho Kwan & Chunyan Peng, 2011. "What Ethical Leadership Means to Me: Asian, American, and European Perspectives," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(3), pages 435-457, July.
    18. Zoey Chen, 2017. "Social Acceptance and Word of Mouth: How the Motive to Belong Leads to Divergent WOM with Strangers and Friends," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 44(3), pages 613-632.
    19. Martin Hemmert, 2020. "Does Korean-style management have a future?," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(2), pages 147-170, April.
    20. Fabian Jintae Froese, 2020. "Korean management: Quo vadis?," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(2), pages 145-146, April.
    21. Hoch, Stephen J & Ha, Young-Won, 1986. "Consumer Learning: Advertising and the Ambiguity of Product Experience," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 13(2), pages 221-233, September.
    22. Christina I. Anthony & Elizabeth Cowley, 2012. "The Labor of Lies: How Lying for Material Rewards Polarizes Consumers' Outcome Satisfaction," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(3), pages 478-492.
    23. Banerjee, Snehasish, 2022. "Exaggeration in fake vs. authentic online reviews for luxury and budget hotels," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cheng-Wen Lee & Ignatius Reyner Giovanni, 2024. "The Impact of Social Commerce Restriction Legislation on the Growth of MSMEs in Indonesia," Advances in Management and Applied Economics, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 14(6), pages 1-15.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kapoor, Payal S. & M S, Balaji & Maity, Moutusy & Jain, Nikunj Kumar, 2021. "Why consumers exaggerate in online reviews? Moral disengagement and dark personality traits," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    2. Snyder, Hannah & Witell, Lars & Gustafsson, Anders & McColl-Kennedy, Janet R., 2022. "Consumer lying behavior in service encounters," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 755-769.
    3. Ringler, Christine, 2021. "Truth and lies: The impact of modality on customer feedback," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 376-387.
    4. Jonah Berger & Matthew D Rocklage & Grant Packard, 2022. "Expression Modalities: How Speaking Versus Writing Shapes Word of Mouth [Affective and Semantic Components in Political Person Perception]," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 49(3), pages 389-408.
    5. Gierl, Heribert & Stiegelmayr, Karin, 2012. "Erzeugt nicht-diagnostische Information einen Reihenfolge-Effekt im Fall der attributweisen Informationspräsentation?," Die Unternehmung - Swiss Journal of Business Research and Practice, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 66(2), pages 127-152.
    6. Konuk, Faruk Anıl & Otterbring, Tobias, 2024. "The dark side of going green: Dark triad traits predict organic consumption through virtue signaling, status signaling, and praise from others," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    7. Bastos, Wilson & Moore, Sarah G., 2021. "Making word-of-mouth impactful: Why consumers react more to WOM about experiential than material purchases," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 110-123.
    8. Dong Hoo Kim & Doori Song, 2019. "Can brand experience shorten consumers’ psychological distance toward the brand? The effect of brand experience on consumers’ construal level," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(3), pages 255-267, May.
    9. Hsiang-Ming Lee & Tsai Chen & Ya-Hui Hsu & Yu-Chi Wu, 2018. "Effect Of Complementary Product Fit And Brand Awareness On Brand Attitude After M&As: Word Of Mouth As A Moderator," Global Journal of Business Research, The Institute for Business and Finance Research, vol. 12(1), pages 51-67.
    10. Amin Ansary & Nik M. Hazrul Nik Hashim, 2018. "Brand image and equity: the mediating role of brand equity drivers and moderating effects of product type and word of mouth," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 969-1002, October.
    11. Maise Soares Pereira & Ivan Lapuente Garrido & Celso Augusto de Matos, 2015. "Firm-Created Word-of-Mouth Recommendation: is it Also Worthwhile?," Brazilian Business Review, Fucape Business School, vol. 12(3), pages 91-118, May.
    12. Davies, Antony & Cline, Thomas W., 2005. "A consumer behavior approach to modeling monopolistic competition," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 797-826, December.
    13. Kim, Juran & Kang, Seungmook & Lee, Ki Hoon, 2021. "Evolution of digital marketing communication: Bibliometric analysis and network visualization from key articles," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 552-563.
    14. Pappas, Nikolaos, 2016. "Marketing strategies, perceived risks, and consumer trust in online buying behaviour," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 92-103.
    15. Khan Md Raziuddin Taufique & Chamhuri Siwar & Basri Talib & Farah Hasan Sarah & Norshamliza Chamhuri, 2014. "Synthesis of Constructs for Modeling Consumers’ Understanding and Perception of Eco-Labels," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-25, April.
    16. Pescher, Christian & Spann, Martin, 2014. "Relevance of actors in bridging positions for product-related information diffusion," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(8), pages 1630-1637.
    17. Wen Zhang & Qiang Wang & Jian Li & Zhenzhong Ma & Gokul Bhandari & Rui Peng, 2023. "What makes deceptive online reviews? A linguistic analysis perspective," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.
    18. Khare, Adwait & Labrecque, Lauren I. & Asare, Anthony K., 2011. "The Assimilative and Contrastive Effects of Word-of-Mouth Volume: An Experimental Examination of Online Consumer Ratings," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 111-126.
    19. Pescher, Christian & Reichhart, Philipp & Spann, Martin, 2014. "Consumer Decision-making Processes in Mobile Viral Marketing Campaigns," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 43-54.
    20. Alexandre Steyer & Renaud Garcia-Bardidia & Pascale Quester, 2007. "Modélisation de la structure sociale des groupes de discussion sur Internet: Implications pour le contrôle du marketing viral," Post-Print hal-02054899, HAL.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:abaman:v:22:y:2023:i:5:d:10.1057_s41291-023-00221-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.