Examining the moderating role of sense of membership in online review evaluations

Chuan Luo, Xin (Robert) Luo, Yun Xu*, Merrill Warkentin, Choon Ling Sia

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

103 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper explores how electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) readers' sense of membership moderates the effects of eWOM antecedent factors on their perceptions of review credibility. To test our hypotheses, we collected 308 samples from two virtual eWOM forums that are famous in China. The results showed that eWOM readers' sense of membership positively moderated argument strength, review sidedness and review rating's effects on review credibility; it also had a negative moderating effect on the relationship between review objectivity and review credibility. Based upon these findings, we discussed the theoretical contributions and practical implications of this study.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)305-316
JournalInformation & Management
Volume52
Issue number3
Online published23 Dec 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2015

Research Keywords

  • Electronic word-of-mouth
  • Review credibility
  • Sense of membership

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