#RudeCustomers : the effects of social media posts about customer mistreatment on viewers’ moral distress and boycott intentions

Abstract

Purpose: Drawing on deontic justice theory, this research uses two studies to examine how observed customer mistreatment on social media (OCMSM) influences unrelated fourth-party viewers’ boycott intentions via moral distress, and how viewers’ moral ownership moderates this indirect relationship. Design/ Methodology/ Approach: Two complementary quantitative studies systematically examined the research model. First, to test the mediation relationship, a time-lagged survey of 266 social media users who viewed real-life hospitality employee–customer interaction videos and rated the level of observed customer mistreatment depicted in the video, moral distress, and boycott intentions. Second, we conducted a 2 (OCMSM: low vs. high) by moral ownership scenario-based quasi-experiment with 246 YouTube users to test the moderated mediation model. Hayes’ PROCESS analyses were used to analyze the results. Findings: Study 1 established the mediating role of moral distress: OCMSM triggered moral distress, which, in turn, increased boycott intentions. Study 2 showed that the indirect effect was amplified when viewers’ moral ownership was high (vs. low). Originality: This study extends deontic justice research by examining reactions to observed customer mistreatment of hospitality employees depicted on social media. Findings show that deontic evaluations transcend temporal and physical boundaries, shaping boycott intentions even among uninvolved viewers, and highlight social injustice as a driver of online consumer activism.