| Abstract [eng] |
The main objective of this master's thesis is to determine the influence of personality traits on users' intention to spread negative eWOM on social media accounts of news portals. The thesis consists of three main parts: literature analysis, research and its results, conclusions and recommendations. The literature analysis discusses the Big Five model, its classifications, NeWOM features and their relationship with personality trait dimensions, aspects of news portals and their correlation with personality traits and NeWOM dissemination. Analysis of the literature has shown that personality traits are among the most important factors influencing a user's intention to spread negative eWOM. However, personality traits can directly affect not only the intention to spread NeWOM but also other determinants of NeWOM. Research indicates that personality traits shape a user's dissatisfaction and emotional response to a negative situation. Furthermore, specific factors within different industries also encourage NeWOM. In the news industry, these factors include the topic of the disseminated content and the valence of the news message. Individuals with different personalities interpret and react to specific topics and information valence (positive/negative) differently. Consequently, personality traits influence the interpretation and perceived relevance of news content, which in turn determines user engagement and engagement intentions. The second part of the work consists of a quantitative study, the aim of which is to empirically investigate how different dimensions of personality traits (the Big Five constructs – neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness) affect users’ intention to spread negative eWOM on social media accounts of news portals. The study involved a manipulation of the news message type. 202 respondents participated in the study. The research instrument was an electronic questionnaire. The collected survey data were analyzed using statistical calculation methods of the IBM SPSS Statistics program in order to test 16 working hypotheses, of which eight hypotheses were supported. The study found that there is a general passivity of respondents in the intention to spread NeWOM, regardless of the type of news message or level of dissatisfaction. The results of the study also show that neuroticism, openness to experience and agreeableness in the context of news predict users’ internal states – emotions and satisfaction, but do not predict negative behavior – the spread of NeWOM. Among the five personality trait constructs, only agreeableness, even with the general passivity of respondents in NeWOM, predicted the avoidance of spreading negative opinions about news containing clickbait. There is also a noticeable double negative effect on reader satisfaction in the presence of a negative news message and a hyperbolic headline. It was found that users rationally perceive and negatively assess the service failure, but react indifferently, and NeWOM is only in the presence of particularly intense negative emotions. The conclusions and recommendations, after summarizing the concepts of the main literature analysis and the results of the conducted study, provide insights into the influence of personality traits on the intention to spread NeWOM on news portals' social media. The author believes that the results of the study could provide useful guidelines for media companies and future research. |
