The Power of Profanity: The Meaning and Impact of Swearwords in Word-of-Mouth

• Author / Creator

  Lafreniere, Katherine

• Swearwords are taboo words that are potentially offensive. However, they are used prevalently— and increasingly—online, suggesting that they are a useful communication tool. Prior work does not provide a comprehensive examination of how, why, or when swearwords might positively or negatively impact consumers engaging in online WOM. The current paper develops a framework that addresses these questions. Using six experiments and field data from Yelp and Amazon, this research demonstrates that swearwords in product reviews, even when compared to non- swearword synonyms (“This dishwasher is damn [super] quiet!)”, can impact review readers’ attitudes towards the review and the reviewed product. Specifically, when a swearword qualifies a desirable [undesirable] product attribute, it increases [decreases] review readers’ attitudes towards the review and the reviewed product (e.g., “This dishwasher is damn quiet [loud]!”). The field data further suggest that uncensored and euphemistic swearwords add value to reviews, but censored swearwords do not. However, the effects are attenuated when the swearword is not diagnostic (e.g., when a review contains multiple swearwords or when the reviewed product is already expected to have the characteristic conveyed by the swearword). Swearwords affect reader’s attitudes towards the product because they function as mixed-meaning expressions, which convey two meanings. Specifically, swearwords convey meaning about 1) the reviewer’s feelings toward the product and 2) the product’s attributes. The data show that these two meanings function as independent, parallel mediators of the unique effects of swearwords on readers’ attitudes. Overall, these findings suggest that swearwords add value to reviews because they are particularly meaningful.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • meaning
  • review
  • diagnosticity
  • swearword
  • word-of-mouth

• Graduation date

  Fall 2019

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-d008-pe24

• License

  Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.