Abstract:

Web2.0 technologies have created numerous opportunities for the production of User-generated Content (UGC).This phenomenon impacts online retailers as this easily accessible information could greatly affect the online consumption decision. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which opinion seekers are willing to accept and adopt online consumer reviews from social media and which factors encourage adoption. Using dual-process theories, an information adoption model was developed to examine the factors affecting UGC adoption of online opinion seekers in social media. The model was tested empirically using a sample of 158 users who had experience within social media, movie.douban.com. Users were required to complete a survey regarding the online consumer reviews received from social media. The paper found comprehensiveness, timeliness and relevance to be the most effective components of the UGC quality construct of the research model, making them key influencers of UGC adoption.

Key words: User-generated content, 　UGC quality, 　UGC source reliability, 　UGC perceived usefulness, 　UGC adoption