Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how CEOs’ interpersonal communication styles on social media can effectively enhance the relationship with employees and increase their engagement on social media platforms. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted with 404 full-time employees working in corporations across various industries in the US. Only employees who “follow” their

Purpose Online games are highly popular Internet applications. Some games enable players to save game progress and accumulate experiences or changes to avatars during gameplay, whereas some other games do not, requiring players to restart from the beginning each time. That is, games differ in avatar accumulability. However, we do not know whether games should be designed to permit avatar accumulability

Purpose In the current digital business landscape, businesses heavily rely on their information technology (IT) departments to drive digital transformation initiatives. However, firms often face challenges in obtaining sufficient backing from their IT departments for such initiatives. This research explores the influence of IT departments’ intellectual capital, referred to as IT intellectual capital

Purpose Social media-based brand communities (SMBBCs) have emerged as one of the most significant marketing tools due to their ability to create and maintain close relationships between SMBBCs and consumers. However, past studies have ignored intimacy toward SMBBCs, particularly the role of individual variances in their development. Researchers have revealed the significant impacts of individual differences

Purpose The emergence of live streaming commerce has injected promising impetus into rural development and attracted many rural streamers. This study aims to explore the influencing factors of rural streamers’ engagement intentions to help promote the sustainable development of rural live streaming commerce. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in the extended valence framework, this research employs

Purpose E-commerce companies employ deceptive techniques known as dark patterns (DPs) to manipulate customer decisions on online platforms. DPs are known to annoy and generate negative emotions in the consumers, which might be detrimental to a brand. Consequently, this study examines the influence of DPs on brand experience (BE) and consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) from the lens of stimulus-organism-response

Purpose Social networks can not only mobilize individuals for collective action but also pose risks, potentially leading to political challenges and societal unrest. Information consumption varies across platforms, with platform characteristics influencing user interactions and information sharing; yet this has received limited attention in scholarly literature. Acknowledging platform-specific differences

Purpose Social media communities contain like-minded members who disclose opinions about various topics that are important to them. These communities often function as echo chambers, filter bubbles or separate spaces for users to share conforming opinions and discredit others deliberately. In extreme cases, they build their alternative reality with limited information that can lead to real-world action

Purpose Human–agent interaction (HAI) is increasingly influencing our personal and work lives through the proliferation of conversational agents (CAs) in various domains. As such, these agents combine intuitive natural language interactions by also delivering personalization through artificial intelligence capabilities. However, research on CAs as well as practical failures indicates that CA interaction

Purpose Although prior research has employed various variables to predict player churn, the dynamic evolution of the behavioral patterns of players has received limited attention. In this study, churn prediction models are developed by incorporating the progress level, in-game purchase, social interaction, behavioral pattern and behavioral variability (BV) of players in social casino games (SCGs).

Purpose Esports game developers are incorporating interactive virtual shopping (IVS) experiences into their products to facilitate consumer–brand interactions. Despite the potential influence of IVS, existing research lacks an understanding of its impact on consumers’ overall affect– particularly game enjoyment, a critical factor in sustaining engagement with esports products – and on attitudinal change

Purpose This study investigated how Generation Z adopted brand messages through trending topics and analysed the central and peripheral routes of information adoption. It explored the roles of informational and emotional supports in influencing information adoption through perceived information usefulness and considered the adoption of brand messages within trending topic discussions. Design/methodology/approach

Purpose Addressing users’ migration is a prerequisite for the sustainable development of the sharing economy. Ethical concerns that may lead to users’ migration are frequent in sharing economy platforms. Therefore, this study explores whether the long-term governance of sharing economy platforms can effectively mitigate users’ migration caused by ethical concerns. Design/methodology/approach Using

Purpose Growing technology adoption is a significant opportunity for the growth of the mobile gaming market. Rising smartphones allow game developers to reach more players and make more money. The study offers guidance for mobile game developers to increase profits and extend the longevity of their games. It aims to assist in making better marketing policy decisions by providing valuable insights into

Purpose Gamification has been widely applied in mobile fitness apps to motivate users to exercise continuously. Based on the affordances–psychological outcomes–behavioral outcomes framework, this study explores the roles of three specific gamification affordances (competition, visibility of achievement and interactivity) in self-health management (continuous use behavior and health behavior) from the

Purpose In recent years, organizations have progressively adopted electronic performance monitoring (EPM) to obtain accurate employee performance data and improve management efficiency in response to the growing complexity of the work environment. However, existing research has primarily focused on examining the effect of EPM on employee behaviors within established job designs, neglecting the consequential

Purpose Virtual idols have entered the golden period as the main form of future digital people. However, existing studies only focus on a single idol type and partial role relationships related to virtual idols, lacking synthesized insights. To address these gaps, this paper summarizes different types of virtual idols and all role relationships to achieve a comprehensive literature review. Design/

Purpose Social media platforms offer users the opportunity to engage with fact-checking posts aimed at countering misinformation surrounding political figures. However, limited research considers how the efficacy of fact-checking messages hinges on individuals’ perceptions and acceptance of the information, with user comments and individuals’ pre-existing partisan viewpoints both presenting possible

Purpose Esports is emerging as a global sensation, yet its distinctive nature complicates our understanding of players' motivations. This study leverages self-hierarchy and self-determination theories to examine the motivations that define players at individual, relational, and community levels, seeking to identify which motivations are most valued. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method approach

Purpose The online healthcare platform (OHP) has become an essential element of the healthcare system, representing a technological shift in the job responsibilities of medical professionals. Drawing on a technology-based job demands–resources (JD-R) model, this study aims to examine how the technological characteristics of OHP affect doctors’ OHP use psychology and behavior. Design/methodology/approach

Purpose We argue that the information flow on Twitter is largely driven by elite communication with a top-down flow, while Facebook’s bottom-up flow is driven by mass public communication. Both are crucial news sources for democratic processes in Latin America. We explore how exposure to these flows affects opinions on democracy across 18 countries with varying democratic conditions. Design/methodology/approach

Purpose This study proposes and tests a model to analyse whether achievement, social and immersion motivational affordances embedded in gamified review platforms motivate consumers to altruistically create content in the post-consumption stage. Design/methodology/approach We used data from a sample of 343 reviewers and employed SmartPLS to test the research model. Findings Findings revealed that, while

Purpose The conventional notion that adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) positively affects firm performance is often confronted with various examples of failures. In this context, large-scale empirical evidence of the economic performance implications of adopting AI is poor, especially in the context of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). Drawing upon the Resource-Based View and the Digital

Purpose With growing concerns about users’ well-being on social media, research stresses the importance of threat appraisals as a crucial first step in motivating self-protective actions. This study, in view of the prevalence of parasocial relationships between followers and social media influencers, aims to unravel the complex dynamics of followers’ threat perceptions within these relationships. Specifically

Purpose This study disentangles the impact of consumers’ adoption of mini-program channels on social media on their purchase behavior in e-marketplaces from a multichannel retailer’s perspective and examines the moderating roles of two types of brand messages (informational and transformational messages). Design/methodology/approach Based on 2,204 transaction records from a Chinese multichannel retailer

Purpose Advancements in augmented reality (AR) technology have increased the interest in improving brand equity by creating AR-enhanced branding experiences. However, despite the potential of AR branding, knowledge regarding the underlying mechanisms required for AR features to build brand equity remains limited. Thus, we considered embodied cognition theory to investigate how designing AR features

Purpose The emergence of social media platforms has revolutionized how brands develop partnerships with social media influencers (SMIs). However, users are seeking more meaningful engagement with SMIs, and little is known about how brands can shift their focus from transient engagements to continued engagement that builds long-term brand–consumer relationships. Extant research has provided inconsistent

Purpose Benefiting from the development and innovation of artificial intelligence and affective computing technology, social chatbots that integrate cognitive analysis and affective social services have flooded into the consumer market. For cognition and emotion-oriented tasks, social chatbots do not always receive positive consumer responses. In addition, consumers have a contradictory attitude toward

Purpose In the past decade, the use of neurophysiological measures as a complementary source of information has contributed to our understanding of human–computer interaction. However, less attention has been given to their capability in providing measures with high temporal resolution. Two studies are designed to address the challenge of measuring users’ cognitive load in an online shopping environment

Purpose Short-form video advertisements have recently gained popularity and are widely used. However, creating attractive short video advertisements remains a challenge for sellers. Based on the visual-audio perspective and signaling theory, this study investigated the impacts of three visual features (number of shots, pixel-level image complexity and vertical versus horizontal formats) and two audio

Purpose This study aims to examine the cultural and economic circumstances that shape esports consumer agency through case studies of “experiential consumption” (Miles, 2021). Design/methodology/approach A multiple-case study approach (Stake, 2006) is deployed alongside participant observation and document analysis to identify three cases of experiential consumption in esports – an esports tournament

Purpose Online patient reviews are of considerable importance on online health platforms. However, there is limited understanding of how these reviews are generated and their impact on patients' choices of physicians. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the antecedents and consequences of online patient reviews on online health platforms. Design/methodology/approach This study introduced an online

Purpose Multiple crowdfunding platforms have been created over the last decade. Some have become extremely successful, but many others have failed. This study focuses on those strategic choices that founders of crowdfunding platforms need to make early on and which determine the basic characteristics of a platform. Specifically, it examines which combination(s) of these initial strategic choices shape(s)

Purpose The metaverse enables users to create their own avatars in a shared virtual space, giving rise to a new avatar personality that differs from their real-self personality. The aim of this research is to explore how users' real-self and avatar personalities may affect their behavioral engagement and satisfaction in the metaverse context. Design/methodology/approach This research applies self-discrepancy

Purpose The study investigates the relationship between social presence dimensions and customer brand engagement (CBE) as well as the relation between customer brand engagement and purchase intention (PI) in the fashion retail metaverse with self-efficacy moderating between CBE and PI. Design/methodology/approach The data were gathered by conducting an online survey (n = 476) from young adults exposed

Purpose The metaverse, a virtual space where one can build and explore with others using avatars, is drawing global interest. Then questions arise: What drives consumers to customize their avatars and purchase virtual items in the metaverse? Who customizes and purchases virtual items more than others? To find the answers, this study tested a research model that explains why consumers customize their

Purpose Given the urgency of corporate engagement in sustainable development, companies seek ways to involve their employees in sustainability efforts. In this regard, gamified systems have gained attention as a novel tool to promote sustainable employee behavior. However, as the research field matures, researchers and practitioners are confronted with a scattered academic landscape that makes it difficult

Purpose The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between digital transformation and corporate fraud. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses panel data of Chinese listed corporations from 2010 to 2021 and captures digital transformation from the perspectives of awareness and investment by extracting related content from annual reports. Our work investigates whether and how digital transformation

Purpose Influencer transgressions can disappoint their followers. However, there is a lack of clarity about the effects of a false allegation on an influencer–follower relationship. Drawing from cognitive dissonance and moral reasoning theory, the current study aims to examine how this relationship is shaped across three time periods (before the allegation is leveled, after the allegation is leveled

Purpose This study examines the phenomenon of “knowledge influencers,” individuals who convey expert information to non-expert audiences and attract users to subscribe to their self-created knowledge products. It seeks to address two research questions: (1) What are the antecedents that promote perceived attractiveness of knowledge influencers? and (2) How does perceived attractiveness of knowledge

Purpose The rapid growth of professional esports has highlighted the lack of a universally recognised governing body to standardise operations and competition rules. This absence presents many challenges. A key concern is the well-being of professional esports players (e-pro-players), who often suffer from exhaustion. This study aims to examine the factors contributing to exhaustion among e-pro-players

Purpose This study aims to identify a value co-creation framework for live streaming through tourism scenes (LStTS). It also clarifies the value attributes of LStTS and makes an empirical test. Design/methodology/approach The study used a mixed-method approach. In Study 1, a total of 12,216 pieces of viewers’ comments and ten web news reports were coded and analyzed employing a grounded theory approach

Purpose This study explores the potential impact of enterprise social media (ESM) communication visibility on knowledge sabotage to reduce knowledge sabotage within organizations. Design/methodology/approach We collected data from 389 Chinese employees across three stages and used hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrap method to test our hypotheses. Findings Communication visibility negatively

Purpose The paper aims to develop and validate an instrument to measure users’ perceptions of online personalized advertising. Design/methodology/approach First, we identified 12 different aspects of online personalized advertisement and formulated candidate items through a literature review. A card sorting study and expert review were conducted to generate the initial scale items. We then conducted

Purpose The esports industry has experienced a dynamic growth. In this context, a significant evolution in the logic of corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be observed, particularly in the digital sphere. By extending Carroll’s three-dimensional model to include corporate digital responsibility (CDR), this paper addresses a key research question: How does CSR evolve and develop in the dynamic

Purpose There is little empirical evidence on how blockchain affordances may encourage consumers to make sustainable choices. Thus, this paper examines how blockchain affordances affect consumers’ sustainable consumption. Design/methodology/approach We focus on three blockchain affordances: transparency, traceability, and immutability in this paper. By integrating the affordance lens and theory of

Purpose In this paper, we address the need to study automatic propaganda detection to establish a course of action when faced with such a complex task. Although many isolated tasks have been proposed, a roadmap on how to best approach a new task from the perspective of text formality or the leverage of existing resources has not been explored yet. Design/methodology/approach We present a comprehensive

Purpose The current study explores two distinct augmented reality (AR) experiences (hedonic and utilitarian) to determine the drivers of satisfaction and word-of-mouth (WOM). Specifically, this research investigates how different AR characteristics (person–virtual environment (VE) interaction, novelty) impact reality congruence and immersion, which ultimately lead to satisfaction and WOM. Design/methodology/approach

Purpose This investigation delves into the elements influencing social networking sites (SNS) use reduction behavior through the lens of the cognitive-affective (CA) model to understand the driving forces behind the decline in SNS use. Design/methodology/approach Following the CA model, this research introduces a theoretical framework that integrates the emotions of regret and guilt along with the

Purpose This research focuses on analyzing the impact of digital transformation (DT) on the green innovation performance of Spanish wineries, as well as the mediating effect of green knowledge sharing (GKS) on this main relationship, as well as the moderating role of top management environmental awareness (TMEA) on the GKS-green innovation performance linkage. In addition, age, size and protected designation

Purpose In the 21st century, excessive use of hedonic information systems (HIS) has become commonplace, making HIS use reduction a more viable option for many users than complete discontinuation. Even so, there is no systematic revision on this matter. This systematic literature review aims to examine previous studies on HIS use reduction, identify their limitations and point out future research directions

Purpose While cyberloafing has emerged as a prevalent issue in numerous workplaces, research on its consequences is still underdeveloped, highlighting a need for further exploration and analysis. Drawing upon the cognitive appraisal theory of emotion, this study investigates the influence of coworkers' cyberloafing on employees' workplace incivility, mediated by negative emotions and moderated by task

Purpose Synthetic advertising, which involves creating or modifying ads through artificial intelligence (AI) technology, has recently transformed the field of media and advertising. Despite its emerging importance, our understanding of consumer perceptions in this context is limited. This study is one of the first to explore the impact of synthetic advertising on consumer behavior. Design/methodology/approach

Purpose Brands can build meaningful, effective connections with consumers through digital influencers. This paper aims to understand the factors determining digital influencers’ success concerning brand-related (i.e. intention to follow influencer advice) and influencer-related (i.e. intention to recommend the influencer) outcomes. We present a conceptual model derived from established theories and

Purpose This paper aims to explore the underlying mechanism whereby information-induced stress, resulting from the burdensome nature, questionable information reliability, misleading content and diffuse characteristics of infodemic pressure, impacts individuals’ online information-related behavior and health-related preventive behavior. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a cross-sectional survey

Purpose This study uses a systematic review to explore the potential causes of previous findings related to e-government acceptance research. By identifying the most frequently used, best, promising or worst factors that affect the acceptance of e-government, this research presents a research agenda for e-government researchers. Design/methodology/approach Through conducting a systematic review following

Purpose This study proposes a framework that demonstrates how the perceived value of augmented reality (AR) shopping influences the formation of psychological ownership of product and technology. The mediating role of flow experience and the moderating role of perceived control are identified. Design/methodology/approach An online survey study recruiting 480 participants who experienced AR shopping

Purpose Notwithstanding their potential benefits especially for individuals with low health literacy, users are still somewhat skeptical about the reliability of healthcare chatbots. The present study aims to address this challenge by investigating strategies to enhance users’ cognitive and emotional trust in healthcare chatbots. Particularly, this study aims to understand the effects of chatbot design

Purpose Despite the promising development and marketing potential of the metaverse, our understanding of how realistic metaverse environments impact user engagement and behaviours remains limited. This study investigates the role of perceived realism in influencing user engagement, thereby affecting external search behaviour and visit intentions. Design/methodology/approach We surveyed 270 active metaverse

Purpose Users frequently target rival brands through direct criticism or indirect customer insults, yet the impact of such attacks on brand advocacy remains unexplored. The purpose of this study is to classify online attacks into brand-targeted attacks and consumer-targeted attacks and further investigate their differential impacts on brand advocacy and the underlying mechanism and a boundary condition