How perceived social media influences consumers’ WOM on social media: The moderating impact of fear of negative evaluation

Abstract

This research examines how perceived social media agility (PSMA) influences social media word-of-mouth (SMWOM), both straightly and indirectly through perceived brand fairness. It also examines whether fear of negative evaluation (FNE) negatively moderates the positive effects of PSMA and brand fairness on SMWOM. Two online between-subjects experiments were conducted to test the research hypotheses using PROCESS Models 4 and 15. The results indicate that PSMA positively influences SMWOM, both directly and indirectly through brand fairness. Furthermore, the positive impact of PSMA on SMWOM is stronger for consumers with high FNE than for those with lower FNE. Interestingly, as FNE increases, the effect of brand fairness perception on SMWOM decreases, up to a certain threshold.