Investigating Electronic Word-of-Mouth on Social Media: An Eye Tracking Approach

Abstract

We investigate how individuals process electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) about jobs and employers on social media. Employing eye-tracking methodology, we examined 1) how positive and negative eWOM is processed differently, 2) what factors influence job seekers’ cognitive processing of eWOM, and 3) factors that influence overall perceptions of credibility of eWOM as a source of employer information. Our results suggest the following: 1) job seekers devote more attention to negative compared to positive eWOM; 2) employer familiarity promotes effortful processing of eWOM; 3) employer reputation hinders processing of negative eWOM for active job seekers; and 4) employer reputation and job search efforts enhance one’s perceptions of credibility of eWOM. Overall, this research provides valuable insight to the cognitive processing of online employer information and its implications for job search, recruitment, and employer branding.