This article aims to specify the performance implications of neutral
user-generated content (UGC) on product sales by differentiating
mixed-neutral UGC, which contains an equal amount of positive and
negative claims, from indifferent-neutral UGC, which includes neither
positive nor negative claims. The authors propose that positive and
negative UGC only provide opportunities for consumers to process
product-related information, whereas both mixed- and indifferent-neutral
UGC affect consumers’ motivation and ability to process positive and
negative UGC. The results of three studies using multiple measures (text
and numerical UGC), contexts (automobiles, movies, and tablets), and
methods (empirical and behavioral experiment) indicate contrasting
premium and discount effects such that mixed-neutral UGC amplifies the
effects of positive and negative UGC, whereas indifferent-neutral UGC
attenuates them. Empirical evidence further indicates that ignoring
mixed- or indifferent-neutral UGC leads to substantial under- or
overestimates of the effects of positive and negative UGC. The effects
of neutral UGC on product sales thus are not truly neutral, and the
direction of the bias depends on both the type of UGC and the
distribution of positive and negative UGC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]