Who’s Driving This Conversation? Systematic Biases in the Content of Online Consumer Discussions

Consumers rely on online word of mouth to make consumption decisions partly because they believe the information provided helps them make better-informed decisions. However, participants in online discussion forums may have multiple goals, only one of which is to provide others with accurate information. For example, participants may want to signal expertise (Schlosser 2005; Wojnicki and Godes 2012), convey uniqueness (Schlosser 2009) or build connections with others (e.g., Hennig- Thurau et. al. 2004; Schlosser 2009). Because online posting is context-dependent communication in which participants read previous posts within a thread before offering their own opinions (Moe and Schweidel 2012), the information shared in online forums will be influenced by previous posts. Therefore, it’s likely that early responses would drive the discussion towards or away from the information requested in the initial post.