Investment decision paths in the information age: The effect of online journalism
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Published online on May 05, 2015
Abstract
In the rapidly evolving technology world blogs have become a popular genre of communication. Their potential influence on decision making is the focus of the present research. Based on interplay between Social Judgment Theory and Framing Theory this study investigates whether the information delivered by technology blogs is treated differently during investment decision making than information from traditional financial newspapers in digital form, while containing information cues and text framing. Using an online experiment with a 3 × 2 design, this research compares the influence of this trio of variables on the investment decisions of 236 participants. Results indicate a complex investment decision‐making process differing according to the type of medium presented, the text framing, the information cues, and the decision maker's background.