Choice Anxiety in Decision Making: Why People Turn to Strangers for Information

This research-in-progress examines the conditions that cause individuals to rely on electronic word of mouth (eWoM) when making purchasing decisions. I theorize that, paradoxically, turning to strangers for information gives individuals a sense of control in a decision environment characterized by overwhelming amounts of alternatives and prevailing information asymmetries. Building on information systems (IS) literature examining questions of usage from both intentional (conscious) and automatic (subconscious) prisms, I introduce the notion of choice anxiety. I propose a model testing the extent to which subconscious choice anxiety, together with adverse selection avoidance is associated with an individual’s sense of control rising from reliance on eWoM information. Analysis of the data shows strong association between cognitive level variables and subconscious choice anxiety with use of eWoM information as a mechanism for achieving sense of control. I theorize that the emergence of choice anxiety and its successful resolution triggers a classical conditioning that reinforces an individual’s reliance on eWoM information sources, thereby contributing to their institutionalization.