Start Date
12-13-2015
Description
This research-in-progress paper examines the conditions that cause individuals to rely on electronic word of mouth (eWoM) when making purchasing decisions. I theorize that, paradoxically, turning to strangers for information gives individuals a sense of control in a decision environment characterized by overwhelming amounts of alternatives and prevailing information asymmetries. Building on information systems (IS) literature examining questions of usage from both intentional (conscious) and automatic (subconscious) prisms, I introduce the notion of choice anxiety. I propose and test a model of how subconscious choice anxiety, together with adverse selection avoidance is associated with an individual’s sense of control based on eWoM information. I further speculate that the emergence of choice anxiety and its successful resolution triggers a classical conditioning that reinforces an individual’s reliance on eWoM information sources, thereby contributing to its institutionalization.
Recommended Citation
Mindel, Vitali, "Choice Anxiety in Decision Making: Why People Turn to Strangers for Information" (2015). ICIS 2015 Proceedings. 4.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2015/proceedings/HumanBehaviorIS/4
Choice Anxiety in Decision Making: Why People Turn to Strangers for Information
This research-in-progress paper examines the conditions that cause individuals to rely on electronic word of mouth (eWoM) when making purchasing decisions. I theorize that, paradoxically, turning to strangers for information gives individuals a sense of control in a decision environment characterized by overwhelming amounts of alternatives and prevailing information asymmetries. Building on information systems (IS) literature examining questions of usage from both intentional (conscious) and automatic (subconscious) prisms, I introduce the notion of choice anxiety. I propose and test a model of how subconscious choice anxiety, together with adverse selection avoidance is associated with an individual’s sense of control based on eWoM information. I further speculate that the emergence of choice anxiety and its successful resolution triggers a classical conditioning that reinforces an individual’s reliance on eWoM information sources, thereby contributing to its institutionalization.