Do we always adopt Facebook friends’ eWOM postings? The role of social identity and threat

In this research, we explore the role of social identity and threats to social identity on consumers’ judgment and behavioural intention about electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on Facebook. Study 1 shows that sharing social identity with a Facebook friend increases perceptions of usefulness and behavioural intention to adopt eWOM. However, when a threat to social identity is posed, these positive effects are eliminated. Study 2 reveals an opposite condition wherein a threat to social identity results in associative responses to eWOM. When the social identity is perceived as impermeable (vs. permeable), threats that are posed toward the social identity increase perceived eWOM usefulness and adoption intention. eWOM source identification is revealed as an underlying mechanism explaining this relationship. Theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.