The Influence of eWOM on Virtual Consumer Communities: Social Capital, Consumer Learning, and Behavioral Outcomes

Word of mouth (WOM) is a highly credible form of marketing information. However, because it is difficult to study WOM in the face-to-face context, researchers have limited understanding of its sources of effectiveness or its effects beyond product and brand communications.

The Influence of eWOM on Virtual Consumer Communities: Social Capital, Consumer Learning, and Behavioral Outcomes

Kineta H. HungUniversity of Hong KongStella Yiyan LiCity University of Hong Kong

Advances in electronic communication technology have popularized the use of new media (as opposed to media advertising), including official and unofficial websites, viral marketing, electronic newsgroups, and blogs that offer consumers instantaneous interactions with advertisers, fellow consumers, and other market players. Among the new media, virtual communities (VCs) especially have become a social phenomenon and changed the way people communicate and relate to one another (Rheingold, 1993). A...

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