Disentangling the effects of social network density on electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intention

Abstract

A widely accepted notion in diffusion literature is that individuals' word-of-mouth behavior is constrained by the properties of social structures (e.g., tie strength, positions in a network) they belong to. Although many studies have indeed confirmed the existence of such social influence, little is known about how the social structural effects are produced and work at a psychological level. This study attempts to present how one's electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intention is shaped by 2 key factors - the valence of product-related information and the social coherence of the communication network in which s/he belongs. To understand the process through which the network structures moderate the impact of information valence on eWOM intention, 2 different moderation processes - a) mediated moderation and b) moderated mediation - were tested in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment. The experimental results supported the moderated mediation model, and the implications of the results were discussed. Copyright © 2009 International Communication Association.