Medium Impacts Message

Another example of where context of data creation matters.  Podcast and transcript.  Implications for interpretation of language use.

User-generated Content: The Medium Impacts the Message
Wharton's Shiri Melumad discusses her research on how user-generated content changes in tone based on the type of device used to create it.

From Yelp reviews about the corner pub’s burger of the month to comments about how much laundry can be stuffed into a high-efficiency washing machine, user-generated content is ubiquitous. Retailers and aggregator sites have made it easier than ever for customers to post their thoughts on everything from the quality of the service to the cleanliness of the bathrooms. In this avalanche of content, is there a difference in tone depending on what device is used to transmit the review? In her latest research, Wharton marketing professor Shiri Melumad finds that consumers who write out their thoughts on smartphones tend to be more emotional than those who wait until they get home to type on their personal computers. Her findings have implications for both marketers and consumers who rely on user-generated content to inform their decisions.

Melumad recently spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about her paper, “Selectively Emotional: How Smartphone Use Changes User-generated Content,” which was written with co-authors J. Jeffrey Inman, business professor at the University of Pittsburgh, and Michel Tuan Pham, marketing professor at France’s Emlyon Business School. (Listen to the podcast at the top of this page.)
Knowledge@Wharton: What was the inspiration for this research?

Shiri Melumad: This research was actually inspired by patterns that I noticed in my own behavior. A few years ago, I started noticing that the way I expressed myself when I was writing certain types of content on my phone — things like work emails or messages to friends — differed quite a bit from how I expressed myself when I wrote the same type of content on my computer. I became really interested in whether any differences systematically arise when consumers generate content on their phone versus a personal computer and, if so, what are the factors that underlie these differences. ... "