The effects of news authenticity and social media tie strength on consumer dissemination behavior

Abstract

This study explores the effect of brand news authenticity and social media tie strength on consumer news attitudes, word‐of‐mouth reviews, and sharing behavior in the context of social media platforms. Besides, the moderating roles of review sidedness and consumer information literacy on the respective effects of news authenticity and social media tie strength on consumer attitudes, word‐of‐mouth reviews, and sharing behavior were also examined. An experimental design was used to test the research model and hypotheses. The findings present several important theoretical and practical implications for efforts by marketers to manage the impact of fake news on their brands.