How sender and receiver jointly shape message : an empirical study on transactional relationship in electronic word of mouth/ created by Tong Bao

By showing the effects of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on product sales, prior research has established a one-way relationship from sender to receiver. This paper demonstrates a feedback loop via 'helpful votes' in the context of online user review: how many eWOM messages sender creates is a function of how many helpful votes receiver provides. In addition, we show receivers consider new eWOM more helpful when prior eWOM messages are few, inconsistent, or positive. Although senders originate eWOM messages, receivers enter the eWOM process through the feedback loop and influence what types of eWOM messages are created; therefore, eWOM is driven by both senders and receivers. Our findings imply that eWOM is a two-way transaction that senders do with receivers rather than to them.