Social influence in online film reviews

Social media keeps transforming market dynamics by allowing consumers to be more present and participative than ever. This is particularly evident when it comes to online review platforms, where users can interact, consult, and share information about any product. The film industry has also witnessed the emergence of online review platforms, where people can post and consult opinions about any film. Letterboxd is an online film review platform that combines film reviewing with different aspects of social networking, by allowing users to rate, review, like, follow, share, and comment on films. This study builds upon existing literature in eWOM, media, and communication disciplines, and explores how online film review outlets like Letterboxd and their social features impact users’ film-watching behavior. Furthermore, it relies on existing solid theories to support the presented hypotheses, namely the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and theories on perceived source credibility. The purpose of this thesis centers on the gap in academic literature regarding the social aspects of online film reviews and their influence on film selection. While previous studies have examined several factors influencing people’s film selection, very few seem to account for the impact of social features in the reviews, such as the presence of personal identifying information and social endorsement in the form of ‘likes’. This study addresses this gap by answering the following research question: “To what extent do social features of online film reviews influence users’ behavioral intentions through perceived source credibility on Letterboxd?” A 2 x 2 between-subjects experimental design was applied by randomly assigning groups of respondents to one out of four different scenarios. Each group was presented with a set of Letterboxd reviews with two manipulated variables: the presence of PII and the number of ‘likes’. Through a survey, respondents were asked about their attitudes towards the displayed reviews, their intention of watching the reviewed film, and how they perceived the reviews’ credibility. The collected data provided valuable insights into the effects of these social features on users’ perceptions and intentions. The findings reveal that reviews with the author’s username and profile picture are seen as more credible, while anonymous reviews are perceived as less credible. Additionally, reviews with a high number of ‘likes’ positively influence perceived credibility, as well as users’ attitudes and intentions towards watching the film. However, it was found that the presence of PII does not influence film-watching intentions, contrasting with previous findings on eWOM effects. This study contributes to the current academic discourse by complementing and expanding existing theories within the context of eWOM, particularly online film reviews. This highlights the importance of social features and online interactions in shaping user-brand dynamics.