Piattaforme digitali e rischio sociale nella condivisione di opinioni estreme

This research investigates the role of a previously unexplored di- mension of electronic word-of-mouth (eWom) content – namely, the ex- tremeness of people’s opinions – in the context of conversations about controversial topics. Specifically, it examines the effect of opinion ex- tremeness on eWom likelihood, advancing the idea that such an effect is moderated by the online communication channel that people use for sharing. In particular, the authors propose that online communica- tion channels can be distinguished according to the level of social dis- approval that users risk when sharing (referred to as social risk). The main hypothesis is that consumers are more likely to share more ex- treme opinions about controversial topics when using online platforms that present low social risk, while such a difference is less likely to ap- pear on online platforms that present higher social risk. Three experi- mental studies – using email systems as an instance of risk-minimizing platforms and open posts on one’s social network pages as an instance of risk-amplifying platforms – provide empirical support for the pro- posed theoretical account.