Causes and Behavioral Evolution of Negative Electronic Word-of-Mouth Communication: Considering the Mediating Role of User Involvement and the Moderating Role of User Self-Construal

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a framework to examine the intrinsic driving paths of negative electronic word-of-word. In this paper, the “contextual” factor—user involvement, and the “individual” factor—user self-construal were selected to consider their influence on the model path. Data were collected using online questionnaires; then, the model and hypotheses were tested using structured equation model (SEM) software. The research results showed that, firstly, negative online shopping experiences positively influence eWOM motivations, and user involvement partially mediated the relationship between negative product quality, negative online shopping platform environments and negative eWOM motivations; secondly, there was a significant correlation between negative eWOM motivations and eWOM behavior, and the personality traits of the communicators themselves influenced the path of “negative eWOM motivation-negative eWOM behavior”. In addition, the user’s self-construal has a significant moderating effect on the “eWOM motivation–immediate eWOM behavior” path under immediate eWOM behavior.