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What to believe, whom to blame, and when to share: exploring the fake news experience in the marketing context

What to believe, whom to blame, and when to share: exploring the fake news experience in the... The spread of fake news on social networking sites (SNS) poses a threat to the marketing landscape, yet little is known about how fake news affect consumers’ perceptions, attitudes and behaviors. This study aims to explore when consumers believe fake news, whom they blame for it (e.g. negative attitudes toward brands or SNS) and when they choose to share it.Design/methodology/approachData obtained from 80 open-ended, semistructured interviews, conducted with SNS consumers and experts, is analyzed following the principles of grounded theory and the Gioia methodology.FindingsFactors affecting consumers’ perceptions of fake news include skepticism, awareness, previous experience, appeal and message cues. Consumers’ brand- and SNS-related attitudes are affected by consumers’ blame, which is determined by consumers’ perceptions of the vetting efforts, role and ethical obligation of SNS. Consumers’ motives for sharing fake news include duty, retaliation, authentication and status-seeking. Theoretical and practical implications derived from the study’s novel conceptual framework are discussed.Practical implicationsThis study identifies communication strategies that marketing professionals can use to mitigate and counter the negative effects of fake news.Originality/valueBy simultaneously considering consumers’ perceptions of the source, information and medium (i.e. SNS), this study presents a novel conceptual framework providing a marketing-centered, dynamic view on consumers’ fake news experience and connecting consumers’ perceptions, attitudes and behaviors in the context of fake news. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Consumer Marketing Emerald Publishing

What to believe, whom to blame, and when to share: exploring the fake news experience in the marketing context

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References (35)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
0736-3761
eISSN
0736-3761
DOI
10.1108/jcm-05-2020-3863
Publisher site
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Abstract

The spread of fake news on social networking sites (SNS) poses a threat to the marketing landscape, yet little is known about how fake news affect consumers’ perceptions, attitudes and behaviors. This study aims to explore when consumers believe fake news, whom they blame for it (e.g. negative attitudes toward brands or SNS) and when they choose to share it.Design/methodology/approachData obtained from 80 open-ended, semistructured interviews, conducted with SNS consumers and experts, is analyzed following the principles of grounded theory and the Gioia methodology.FindingsFactors affecting consumers’ perceptions of fake news include skepticism, awareness, previous experience, appeal and message cues. Consumers’ brand- and SNS-related attitudes are affected by consumers’ blame, which is determined by consumers’ perceptions of the vetting efforts, role and ethical obligation of SNS. Consumers’ motives for sharing fake news include duty, retaliation, authentication and status-seeking. Theoretical and practical implications derived from the study’s novel conceptual framework are discussed.Practical implicationsThis study identifies communication strategies that marketing professionals can use to mitigate and counter the negative effects of fake news.Originality/valueBy simultaneously considering consumers’ perceptions of the source, information and medium (i.e. SNS), this study presents a novel conceptual framework providing a marketing-centered, dynamic view on consumers’ fake news experience and connecting consumers’ perceptions, attitudes and behaviors in the context of fake news.

Journal

Journal of Consumer Marketing – Emerald Publishing

Published: May 4, 2022

Keywords: Perceptions; Brands; Behaviors; Strategy; Attitudes; Social media; SNS; Fake news; Sharing motives; Consumers’ perceptions

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