Social media opinion sharing: beyond volume

Abstract

Purpose Industry and academic marketing researchers have attempted to predict consumer behavior from the volume and sentiment of social media activity. Yet, real-world examples demonstrate that individual and cultural factors may need to be built into current measures. This study aims to examine factors that differentiated sharers from non-sharers in regards to consumer sharing habits about entertainment products. Design/methodology/approach A survey of students at four large Southeastern Universities (n = 3,079). Findings Quantifying cultural work done about social media phenomenon, such as “Black Twitter”, many statistically significant differences were found between consumers. For example, women and African Americans shared their opinions far more frequently than other demos. Second, sharing habits greatly varied when considering the social media platform being used. Finally, respondents shared positive opinions about a product more than negative ones and sharing rates increased after a product’s release. Originality/value Although much consumer marketing research continues to analyze social media behavior based on volume and valence, this study found that other factors – such as consumer demographics, the social media platform being used and a consumer’s engagement with, and reaction to, a product – need to be added to marketing metrics.