EXPRESS: No Comments (from You): Understanding the Interpersonal and Professional Consequences of Disabling Social Media Comments

Abstract

Presumably in an effort to reduce cyberbullying and promote mental health, online influencers often limit viewers’ ability to post comments. In this research, we find that influencers incur significant interpersonal and professional repercussions for doing so. Across a Twitter dataset and six experiments utilizing both consequential and hypothetical dependent measures, we find that consumers form more negative impressions of and are less persuaded by influencers who disable social media comments. These outcomes are driven by the perception that the influencer is less receptive to consumer voice (e.g., consumers’ thoughts, opinions, and suggestions) and, thus, less sincere. However, we find that this effect is mitigated in situations where consumers feel that it is reasonable for influencers to prioritize self-protection.