Factors enhancing the posting of negative behavior in social media and its impact on venting negative emotions

Purpose Venting negative emotions on social networking sites (SNS) has become a growing phenomenon among dissatisfied customers. Drawing on social cognitive theory (SCT), the purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of personal outcome expectations and computer self-efficacy on the posting of negative behavior and its impact on venting negative emotions on SNS. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling was conducted, and 342 dissatisfied customers in Taiwan made up the sample. Findings This study found that both personal outcome expectations and computer self-efficacy positively affect the posting of negative behavior, which increases the effect of venting negative emotions. Moreover, gender moderates the relationships between the variables in the proposed model. Research limitations/implications A bias may exist because sampling was conducted through an online survey on a specific website. This study extended the SCT model by adding the effect of venting negative emotions to the original model and suggested that researchers take gender into consideration when developing consumer complaint theories. Practical implications This study suggested that service providers need to detect negative statements and take action before these statements lead to switching behavior among dissatisfied customers. Moreover, “webcare” is recommended as an effective tool to counter negative comment effects among those exposed to complaints on SNS. Originality/value This study advanced the understanding of SCT for dissatisfied customers posting negative experiences in the context of SNS.