Korean Academic Society of Business Administration
[ Article ]
korean management review - Vol. 52, No. 3, pp.735-753
ISSN: 1226-1874 (Print)
Print publication date 30 Jun 2023
Received 10 Dec 2022 Revised 14 Apr 2023 Accepted 01 May 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17287/kmr.2023.52.3.735

Effect of Reviewer Writing Device Type (Mobile vs. PC) on Linguistic Style of Hotel Reviews: Focusing on Foreign Traveler Reviews of Hotels Located in Seoul

Jungwon Lee ; Jaehyun You
(First Author) Sejong Management Research Institute, Korea University d2ljw510@korea.ac.kr
(Corresponding Author) Division of Convergence Business, Korea University hyuni22@korea.ac.kr
리뷰어 작성기기 종류(모바일 vs. PC)가 호텔 리뷰의 언어적 스타일에 미치는 영향: 서울에 위치한 호텔의 외국인 여행자 리뷰를 중심으로


Copyright 2011 THE KOREAN ACADEMIC SOCIETY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Unlike PCs, mobile devices have become a major tool for creating and exploring information, providing access to the internet anytime and anywhere. As the influence of mobile devices on online consumer behavior grows, researchers have analyzed differences in consumer behavior based on the device used. However, there are not enough studies examining the differences in linguistic characteristics of reviews depending on the writing device. This study analyzed the effects of writing devices(mobile vs. PC) on four linguistic styles: review depth, analytical style, clout style, and readability, which are the linguistic characteristics of reviews. For empirical analysis, 1,830 review data were collected from 20 hotels located in Seoul from TripAdvisor, a leading review platform. A total of 616 review data written on mobile and PC devices were analyzed through propensity score matching. The analysis revealed that reviews written on mobile devices exhibited decreased review depth and analytical style while demonstrating increased clout style and readability compared to reviews written on PCs.

Keywords:

device, mobile, PC, linguistic style, review depth, analytical style, strong tone style, readability

References

  • Aleti, T., J. I. Pallant, A. Tuan, and T. van Laer (2019), “Tweeting with the stars: Automated text analysis of the effect of celebrity social media communications on consumer word of mouth,” Journal of Interactive Marketing, 48, pp.17-32. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2019.03.003]
  • Babić Rosario, A., F. Sotgiu, K. De Valck, and T. H. A. Bijmolt(2016), “The effect of electronic word of mouth on sales: A meta-analytic review of platform, product, and metric factors,” Journal of Marketing Research, 53(3), pp.297-318. [https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.14.0380]
  • Berger, J.(2014), “Word of mouth and interpersonal communication: A review and directions for future research,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(4), pp.586-607. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2014.05.002]
  • Brown, J. D.(1986), “Evaluations of self and others: Self-enhancement biases in social judgments,” Social Cognition, 4(4), pp.353-376. [https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.1986.4.4.353]
  • Cheung, C. M. K. and M. K. O. Lee(2012), “What drives consumers to spread electronic word of mouth in online consumer-opinion platforms,” Decision Support Systems, 53(1), pp.218-225. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2012.01.015]
  • Cheung, C. M. K. and D. R. Thadani(2012), “The impact of electronic word-of-mouth communication: A literature analysis and integrative model,” Decision Support Systems, 54(1), pp.461-470. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2012.06.008]
  • Cheung, C. M. K., M. K. O. Lee, and N. Rabjohn(2008), “The impact of electronic word-of-mouth,” Internet Research, 18(3), pp.229-247. [https://doi.org/10.1108/10662240810883290]
  • de Haan, E., P. K. Kannan, P. C. Verhoef, and T. Wiesel(2018), “Device switching in online purchasing: Examining the strategic contingencies,” Journal of Marketing, 82(5), pp.1-19. [https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.17.0113]
  • Dehejia, R. H. and S. Wahba(2002), “Propensity score-matching methods for nonexperimental causal studies,” Review of Economics and Statistics, 84(1), pp.151-161. [https://doi.org/10.1162/003465302317331982]
  • Ghose, A., A. Goldfarb, and S. P. Han(2013), “How is the mobile internet different? search costs and local activities,” Information Systems Research, 24(3), pp.613-631. [https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.1120.0453]
  • Han, S., J. K. Han,, I. Im, S. I. Jung, and J. W. Lee(2022), “Mapping consumer’s cross-device usage for online search: Mobile- vs. PC-based search in the purchase decision process,” Journal of Business Research, 142, pp.387-399. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.051]
  • Hennig-Thurau, T., K. P. Gwinne, G. Walsh, and D. D. Gremler(2004), “Electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms: What motivates consumers to articulate themselves on the internet?,” Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(1), pp.38-52. [https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.10073]
  • Homer, P. M. and S. G. Yoon(1992), “Message framing and the interrelationships among ad-based feelings, affect, and cognition,” Journal of Advertising, 21(1), pp.19-33. [https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.1992.10673357]
  • Hong, H., D. Xu, G. A. Wang, and W. Fan(2017), “Understanding the determinants of online review helpfulness: A Meta-analytic investigation,” Decision Support Systems, 102, pp.1-11. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2017.06.007]
  • Johnen, M. and O. Schnittka(2019), “When pushing back is good: The effectiveness of brand responses to social media complaints,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 47(5), pp.858-878. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00661-x]
  • Kacewicz, E., J. W. Pennebaker, M. Davis, M. Jeon, and A. C. Graesser(2014), “Pronoun use reflects standings in social hierarchies,” Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 33(2), pp.125-143. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X13502654]
  • Klare, G. R.(1974), “Assessing readability,” Reading Research Quarterly, 10(1), pp.62. [https://doi.org/10.2307/747086]
  • Lee, J. and C. Park(2022), “Social media content, customer engagement and brand equity: US versus Korea,” Management Decision, 60(8), pp.2195-2223. [https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-12-2020-1595]
  • Lee, J. and C. Park(2022), “The effects of corporate, review and reviewer characteristics on the helpfulness of online reviews: The moderating role of culture,” Internet Research, 32(5), pp.1562-1594. [https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-11-2020-0632]
  • Li, C., X. Luo, C. Zhang, and X. Wang(2017), “Sunny, rainy, and cloudy with a chance of mobile promotion effectiveness,” Marketing Science, 36(5), pp.762-779. [https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2017.1044]
  • Liu, Z. and S. Park(2015), “What makes a useful online review? implication for travel product websites,” Tourism Management, 47, pp.140-151. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2014.09.020]
  • Luarn, P., J. C. Yang, and Y. P. Chiu(2015), “Why people check in to social network sites,” International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 19(4), pp.21-46. [https://doi.org/10.1080/10864415.2015.1029353]
  • Lurie, N. H., J. Berger, Z. Chen, B. Li, H. Liu, C. H. Mason,... and R. Venkatesan(2018), “Everywhere and at all times: mobility, consumer decision-making, and choice,” Customer Needs and Solutions, 5, pp.15-27. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s40547-017-0076-9]
  • Luís Abrantes, J., C. Seabra, C. Raquel Lage, and C. Jayawardhena(2013), “Drivers of in-group and out-of-group Electronic Word-of-mouth (ewom),” European Journal of Marketing, 47(7), pp.1067-1088. [https://doi.org/10.1108/03090561311324219]
  • Mariani, M. M., M. Borghi, and U. Gretzel(2019), “Online reviews: Differences by submission device,” Tourism Management, 70, pp.295-298. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.08.022]
  • Melumad, S. and R. Meyer(2020), “Full disclosure: How smartphones enhance consumer self-disclosure,” Journal of Marketing, 84(3), pp.28-45. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242920912732]
  • Melumad, S., J. J. Inman, and M. T. Pham(2019), “Selectively emotional: How smartphone use changes user-generated content,” Journal of Marketing Research, 56(2), pp.259-275. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243718815429]
  • Mudambi, S. M. and D. Schuff(2010), “Research note: What makes a helpful online review? A study of customer reviews on Amazon.com,” MIS Quarterly, 34(1), pp.185-200. [https://doi.org/10.2307/20721420]
  • März, A., S. Schubach, and J. H. Schumann(2017), “‘Why would I read a mobile review?’ device compatibility perceptions and effects on perceived helpfulness,” Psychology & Marketing, 34(2), pp.119-137. [https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20979]
  • Orimoloye, L. O., A. C. Scheinbaum, M. Kukar-Kinney, T. Ma, M.-C. Sung, and J. Johnson(2022), “Differential effects of device modalities and exposure to online reviews on online purchasing: A field study,” Journal of Advertising, 51(4), pp.430-439. [https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2022.2090466]
  • Packard, G. and D. B. Wooten(2013), “Compensatory knowledge signaling in consumer word-of-mouth,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 23(4), pp.434-450. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2013.05.002]
  • Packard, G. and D. B. Wooten(2013), “Compensatory knowledge signaling in consumer word-of-mouth,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 23(4), pp.434-450. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2013.05.002]
  • Ransbotham, S., N. H. Lurie, and H. Liu(2019), “Creation and consumption of mobile word of mouth: How are mobile reviews different?,” Marketing Science, 38(5), pp.773-792. [https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2018.1115]
  • Schoenmueller, V., O. Netzer, and F. Stahl(2020), “The polarity of online reviews: Prevalence, drivers and implications,” Journal of Marketing Research, 57(5), pp.853-877. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243720941832]
  • Singh, J. P., S. Irani, N. P. Rana, Y. K. Dwivedi, S. Saumya, and P. Kumar Roy(2017), “Predicting the ‘helpfulness’ of online consumer reviews,” Journal of Business Research, 70, pp.346-355. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.08.008]
  • Srivastava, V. and A. D. Kalro(2019), “Enhancing the helpfulness of online consumer reviews: The role of latent (content) factors,” Journal of Interactive Marketing, 48, pp.33-50. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2018.12.003]
  • Smith, E. A. and R. J. Senter(1967), Automated Readability Index, Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories, Aerospace Medical Division, Air Force Systems Command.
  • van Laer, T. and K. de Ruyter(2010), “In stories we trust: How narrative apologies provide cover for competitive vulnerability after integrity-violating blog posts,” International Journal of Research in Marketing, 27(2), pp.164-174. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2009.12.010]
  • Wang, X., L. R. Tang, and E. Kim(2019), “More than words: Do emotional content and linguistic style matching matter on restaurant review helpfulness?,” International Journal of Hospitality Management, 77, pp.438-447. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.08.007]
  • Yen, C. L. A. and C. H. H. Tang(2015), “Hotel attribute performance, eWOM motivations, and Media Choice,” International Journal of Hospitality Management, 46, pp.79-88. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2015.01.003]

∙ The author Jungwon Lee is currently a research professor at the Sejong Management Research Institute, Korea University. He obtained his master's degree in e-Business from Korea University and his Ph.D. in Marketing from the Department of Business Administration at Korea University. His main research interest is in Online Consumer Behavior.

∙ The author Jaehyun You is currently an associate professor in Division of Convergence Business at Korea University. He obtained his bachelor's degree in Economics, master's degree in Business Administration, and Ph.D. in Business Administration from Korea University. His main research interests include High Tech Product Adoption & Diffusion Strategy, Omni-Channel Marketing Strategy, and Consumer Behavior.