Abstract
Suspicion regarding dishonest electronic word-of-mouth is a growing concern for online consumers. Individual consumers are occasionally seen acting as product review forum ‘watchdogs’ within the websites they visit; posting vigilante comments against reviews they perceive to be fraudulent. This study investigates consumer ‘watchdog comments,’ and the way in which ego-threatening product categories themselves may actually induce a prosecutorial mindset, leading to greater levels of suspicion towards positive online product reviews and the impulse to prosecute potential fraudsters. A content analysis of actual Amazon.com reviews and consumer commentary indicates that the occurrence of ‘watchdog comments' is more common within ego-threatening product categories.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| State | Published - Mar 1 2014 |
| Event | Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Annual Conference (AMTP) - Duration: Mar 1 2016 → … |
Conference
| Conference | Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Annual Conference (AMTP) |
|---|---|
| Period | 03/1/16 → … |
Keywords
- Threatening products
- Threats
- Social contract
- Consumer review forums
- Word-of-mouth
DC Disciplines
- Business Administration, Management, and Operations
- Marketing