Nature of the publicationJournal article
Title of the publicationSelectively Emotional: How Smartphone Use Changes User-Generated Content
Journal name/Book publisherJournal of Marketing Research
DOIdoi.org
Abstract

User-generated content has become ubiquitous and very influential in the marketplace. Increasingly, this content is generated on smartphones rather than personal computers (PCs). This article argues that because of its physically constrained nature, smartphone (vs. PC) use leads consumers to generate briefer content, which encourages them to focus on the overall gist of their experiences. This focus on gist, in turn, tends to manifest as reviews that emphasize the emotional aspects of an experience in lieu of more specific details. Across five studies—two field studies and three controlled experiments—the authors use natural language processing tools and human assessments to analyze the linguistic characteristics of user-generated content. The findings support the thesis that smartphone use results in the creation of content that is less specific and privileges affect—especially positive affect—relative to PC-generated content. The findings also show that differences in emotional content are driven by the tendency to generate briefer content on smartphones rather than user self-selection, differences in topical content, or timing of writing. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Author #1Shiri Melumad
Affiliation Author #1The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Author #2Jeffrey J Inman
Affiliation Author #2Katz Graduate School of Business - University of Pittsburgh
Author #3Michel Tuan Pham
Affiliation Author #3Columbia University