Communicating corporate social responsibility in a social world: the effects of company-generated and user-generated social media content on CSR attributions and scepticism

Abstract

As companies rely on social media to communicate corporate social responsibility (CSR), the need to understand the implications of using this channel grows. This study explored such implications in the context of food retailers’ CSR. Drawing on attribution theory, it adopts a mixed method approach to explain how social media communication shapes CSR attributions and influences consumers’ scepticism towards CSR. Results identify company-generated social media communication as an important antecedent of CSR attributions. It finds that attributions play a key role in determining the extent to which consumers interact with user-generated content (UGC), influencing whether it shapes their scepticism. The study offers several implications for academics and practitioners, extending current theoretical arguments related to the use of social media for CSR communication.