Moral Intensity and Ideologies in Forming Moral Reasoning Strategies and Negative Word of Mouth Toward Controversial Social Media Influencers

Numerous social media influencers (SMIs) are involved in personal controversies that may lead to their followers’ negative word of mouth (NWOM) and public relations crises. NWOM spreads more rapidly than positive recommendations, necessitating effective communication strategies to prevent it. This study examined the antecedents of NWOM from the perspectives of the followers’ moral intensity, two aspects of moral ideologies (idealism and relativism), and three aspects of moral reasoning strategies (moral coupling, moral decoupling, and moral rationalization). An online questionnaire survey was conducted, yielding 476 valid responses that were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Both moral intensity and idealism were positively associated with moral coupling but negatively associated with moral decoupling and rationalization. Moral coupling and decoupling were also positively associated with NWOM, whereas moral rationalization was negatively associated with NWOM. These findings enhance the theoretical understanding of NWOM’s antecedents and provide essential insights for SMI marketers to develop strategies to mitigate NWOM by focusing on the followers’ moral intensity and ideologies.