In eWOM we trust: Using naïve theories to understand consumer trust in a complex eWOM marketspace

Abstract

The relationship between trust and outcome-related responses to electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is well-established in research. However, researchers’ consideration and measurement of trust are rooted in, and limited by, the field’s origins in studying offline, interpersonal word-of-mouth, a perspective that does not align with the reality of the eWOM marketspace. In this paper, we conceptualize, and offer evidence of, the eWOM marketspace as a multi-level, interconnected system shaped by multiple persuasion agents with overt and covert agendas. Analyzing data from 27 in-depth interviews, we explain how consumers develop networked, multi-dimensional assessments of trust and manage skepticism in this contemporary environment by drawing on naïve theories and learning from experience. We contribute to a more refined, fluid, and experientially-rooted understanding of consumer trust, and trust assessments in the eWOM marketspace, and offer practical implications for review platforms and marketers.