Social media as a living laboratory for researchers

The relationship between linguistics and online user responses

Bibliographic Data

ID12420533
AuthorsAulona Ulqinaku (0000-0003-3456-6451, University of Leeds, corresponding author), Selma Kadić-Maglajlić (0000-0002-1169-1623, Copenhagen Business School), Gülen Sarial‐Abi (0000-0002-7971-959X, Copenhagen Business School)
Year2023
Volume34
Issue5
Pages1744-1774
Publication date2023-12-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternet Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1066-2243 • E-ISSN: 2054-5657
PublisherEmerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1108/intr-01-2023-0064
OpenAlexW4389740223
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited78

Purpose Today, individuals use social media to express their opinions and feelings, which offers a living laboratory to researchers in various fields, such as management, innovation, technology development, environment and marketing. It is therefore necessary to understand how the language used in user-generated content and the emotions conveyed by the content affect responses from other social media users. Design/methodology/approach In this study, almost 700,000 posts from Twitter (as well as Facebook, Instagram and forums in the appendix) are used to test a conceptual model grounded in signaling theory to explain how the language of user-generated content on social media influences how other users respond to that communication. Findings Extending developments in linguistics, this study shows that users react negatively to content that uses self-inclusive language. This study also shows how emotional content characteristics moderate this relationship. The additional information provided indicates that while most of the findings are replicated, some results differ across social media platforms, which deserves users' attention. Originality/value This article extends research on Internet behavior and social media use by providing insights into how the relationship between self-inclusive language and emotions affects user responses to user-generated content. Furthermore, this study provides actionable guidance for researchers interested in capturing phenomena through the social media landscape

Affect (linguistics · Feeling · Originality · Social media · The Internet · User-generated content · Value (mathematics · World Wide Web · Communication · Computer Science · Digital Communication and Language · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access