F'''''g With Opinions: Understanding the Implications of Strongly Opinionated and Profane Electronic Word-of-Mouth on Film Demand

Abstract: The internet is a gateway to rest of the world. It allows people to express themselves in an unfiltered fashion and share opinions freely. In parallel, online film forums are becoming increasingly influential on film consumers. This study aims to shed light on the effects that strongly opinionated and profane electronic word-of-mouth has on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions towards film, and whether these effects interplay with various mediators and moderators. Two-way ANOVA analyses are conducted on a data set composed of 136 questionnaire respondents, which concludes that a direct effect exists between expressed opinion in a film review quote and a consumer's attitude towards presented film. Additionally, Preacher & Hayes' PROCESS macro is used to perform mediation and moderation tests, in which results establish emotional arousal to be an indirect-only mediator on the said relationship between expressed opinion and consumer attitude. This study is the first in its field to investigate strongly opinionated electronic word-of-mouth and its implications for film demand. Thus, it serves as a basis for further research on the subject.