Dilemma of Hotel Reviews: The Role of Information Processing and Validation through Metacognition

Abstract

A comprehensive model is proposed to understand how travelers manage copious and even competing online reviews through a validation process, by examining the impact of social support, persuasive message compliance, persuasive message resistance, and metacognition on tourists’ willingness to be involved in social commerce. Based on the theories of signaling and reactance, the model explores how social forces, such as online social support and personal information-processing drivers (i.e., information processing and validating procedure), can explain customers’ social commerce intentions. A survey of tourists in 61 mid- to high-end hotels indicates that social support is positively related to persuasive message compliance, resistance, and social commerce intention. The findings indicate that persuasive message compliance and resistance mediate the relationship between social support and social commerce intention, whereas the mediation relationships are conditioned on metacognition.