Other-Interest and compassion as mechanisms of the warranting principle: Advancing warranting theory in the context of sponsored posts

Warranting theory explains how individuals assess the credibility of online information using the concept of warranting value. However, online environments may simultaneously present cues that decrease warranting value along with users’ positive or negative reactions to those cues. This highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying the warranting principle to strengthen the theory’s explanatory power. This study extends warranting theory by exploring perceived self-interest, other-interest, and compassion as mechanisms for the warranting principle. Contextualized in sponsored posts, it examines how warranting value is influenced by 1) whether sponsorship is disclosed by the endorser or others, and 2) audience reactions (positive vs. negative). An experiment (N = 1890) revealed that sponsorship reduced warranting value, but self-disclosure by the endorser restored some credibility by enhancing perceptions of the endorser’s other-interest. Negative comments from others diminished the post’s warranting value by reducing compassion toward the endorser. The findings advance warranting theory by suggesting other-interest and compassion as additional mechanisms of the warranting principle and by highlighting the effects of user-generated appraisals of third-party information modification cues on the warranting value of online information.