This study explored how the type, quantity, and polarity of information shape customer uncertainty in consumption values, utilizing longitudinal and large-scale user-generated data collected from Yelp. Two types of curvilinear relationships between information quantity and consumer uncertainty were identified. Pattern (a) exhibits an inverted U-shaped trend where uncertainty rises with information volume (under scarcity) but diminishes after a threshold (indicating sufficiency). In contrast, Pattern (b) shows recurrent uncertainty surges after surpassing a volume threshold, signaling information overload. Moreover, the study revealed that the polarity of visual information significantly moderates the impact of information quantity on customer uncertainty. The findings suggest that restaurant managers, within the eWOM context, should tailor information management strategies corresponding to different stages of information diffusion. Lastly, the study underscores the importance of monitoring conflicting information for restaurant managers to effectively mitigate customer uncertainty, emphasizing the utility of the novel big data-based approach to measure customer uncertainty.

中文翻译：

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解读信息数量-质量悖论：电子口碑数量如何影响消费价值的不确定性

本研究利用从 Yelp 收集的纵向和大规模用户生成数据，探讨了信息的类型、数量和极性如何影响客户消费价值的不确定性。确定了信息量和消费者不确定性之间的两种曲线关系。模式 (a) 呈现倒 U 形趋势，其中不确定性随着信息量（稀缺性）的增加而增加，但在达到阈值（表明充足性）后减少。相比之下，模式 (b) 显示在超过交易量阈值后反复出现的不确定性激增，表明信息过载。此外，研究表明，视觉信息的极性显着减轻了信息量对客户不确定性的影响。研究结果表明，在网络口碑背景下，餐厅管理者应根据信息传播的不同阶段制定相应的信息管理策略。最后，该研究强调了餐厅经理监控冲突信息以有效减轻顾客不确定性的重要性，并强调了基于大数据的新颖方法在衡量顾客不确定性方面的实用性。