Teenagers’ eWOM intentions: a nature vs nurture perspective

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of parents (via family communication patterns) on teenagers’ electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intentions, via a serial mediation by internet usage and self-esteem, along with the moderating effect of online impression.

A conceptual model was developed based on the nature vs nurture perspective and theory of consumer socialization. Structural equation modeling was applied to investigate the interplay among proposed variables, using a sample of 797 teenage respondents in India.

The findings indicate that family communication, internet usage, and self-esteem are significant antecedents to eWOM intents of teenagers. Also, online impression is a strong moderator which influences whether teenagers would engage in eWOM activities or not.

This study presents actionable items for marketers interested in teenage consumers in an emerging economy. Marketers can benefit by tailoring their online communication to influence parent’s attitude toward the internet and to enhance online impression of teenagers to substantially increase eWOM dispersion.

This study provides original insights about how parents and individual characteristics act as antecedents and impact teenagers’ eWOM intentions including the moderating effect of online impression.