How does brand-related user-generated content differ across social media? Evidence reloaded

Abstract

In light of the relevant changes in the social media environment in recent years, this paper extends the theoretical framework of user-generated content (UGC) dimensions and updates evidence on how brand-related UGC characteristics vary across social media. Using content analysis and statistical analysis of frequencies, we compare how different social media (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) shape twelve important UGC dimensions. Our findings suggest that, by flattening the differences on visual and richer content, the recent trends have made Facebook and Twitter more similar to YouTube on certain brand-related UGC dimensions (e.g., self-presentation, brand centrality, brand recommendation). Moreover, by amplifying the differences related to the real-time and ubiquitous sharing of increasingly richer content, the recent trends have favored the emergence of other brand-related UGC characteristics (e.g., location sharing, sharing while purchasing/using the brand, brand connection with personal experience, response to advertising campaign) more prominently on Facebook and Twitter than on YouTube.