Abstract:

Recent advances in information technologies have made it easier for individuals to post their opinions and experiences about firms’ products/services on social media. Such posts are called user-generated content (UGC). UGC could be in the form of images, videos, social media content, testimonials, product reviews, live streams, blog posts, YouTube content, and any other form. This content influences companies and other online users.

UGC can have two sides, the good and the bad. The companies encourage positive UGC because it is a powerful tool for brands to increase brand authenticity, social proof, and engagement, and provide valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviors. By leveraging UGC, brands can build a loyal customer base and increase brand awareness and reach. However, a positive UGC impact can be eroded by a negative UGC. The negative UGC may have a negative effect on firms and their brand value, customers, stakeholders' opinions, and trust. That is why it is important for public relations, communication, and marketing specialists and managers to develop a broader understanding of the UGC and the types of strategies for managing negative UGC.

The paper overviews the types of non-sponsored and sponsored UGC. Also, the paper describes the consumer's motivation for creating a negative UGC through prospect theory, which explains the loss-avoidance tendency, and attribution theory, which posits that individuals will behave differently to a product failure depending upon who they feel is to blame. Furthermore, the main types of strategies (no response, accommodative, and defensive approaches) to manage the negative UGC are overviewed.

The research methods used in this academic article include literature review, systematic analysis, and generalization. The main purpose of this article is to present some recommendations that would help public relations, communication, and marketing managers to enhance their knowledge and raise their qualifications in understanding the strategies, which could help to manage negative UGC.

Keywords:

User-generated content, negative user-generated content, response strategies.