Adoption of Implicit eWOM in Facebook: An Affect-as-Information Theory Perspective

Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has gained inescapable attention among both practitioners and academia. Its importance lies in its simplicity yet profound impact on customers’ attitude toward specific brands or goods, and consequently affecting customer loyalty and intention to purchase. Although Social Network Services have emerged as platforms to spread eWOM, less attention has been paid towards implicit eWOM which is displayed by liking pages of products or through check-in feature of Facebook. Using the theoretical lens of affect-as-information theory, this study shows affective attitude of users toward implicit eWOM influences acceptance of eWOM. We also study how tie strength, image building, and involvement with Facebook collectively determine affective attitude. The implications for theory and practice are discussed as well as limitations and future research directions.