Compensatory Knowledge Signaling

Compensatory Knowledge Signaling

Reviewed by Faisal Zaidi

Sharing more word of mouth, and in more detail, to appear knowledgeable when actual knowledge falls short of the knowledge a person wants to have.

What it is

In four studies, Grant M. Packard and David B. Wooten found that people whose product knowledge fell short of what they wanted to know shared more, and in more detail. The effect was stronger when the audience was psychologically close and when people believed that sharing would improve their self-image.

In effect

In the article on social currency in marketing, it shows that the pull to look informed shapes how much people say about a product.

What it does not say

It concerns a gap between actual and desired knowledge. It does not say that people who share a lot about a product know little about it.

Sources

  1. Packard, G. M., & Wooten, D. B. (2013). Compensatory knowledge signaling in consumer word-of-mouth. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 23(4), 434-450.