Gossip in social networking sites
Shintaro Okazaki, Natalia Rubio and Sara Campo
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Introduction
The present study examines the effects of social networking site (SNS) users’ online gossip propensity. Broadly defined, gossip is information about the new, deviant traits or behaviours of other people (Arno 1980). SNS users often chitchat about what is going on in their friends’ lives, seeking novel, hilarious or scandalous anecdotes about them. We address how such casual small-talk would ultimately lead to brand recommendation or electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). In addition, we explore the impact of two types of...