Examining corporate social irresponsibility in manufacturing: An eye-tracking study of social media news

This research aims to experimentally examine how consumers respond to environmental corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) news about manufacturing production on social media, focusing on the cognitive mechanisms underlying consumers’ behaviour decisions. Drawing on existing literature in CSI, consumer behaviour, and social media crisis communication, this study employs an eye-tracking methodology in conjunction with a 2 x 2 x 2 experimental vignette design with a nationally representative sample of 325 UK adults. Results reveal that the presence of evidence and a higher degree of harm in CSI events do not evoke stronger negative responses. Instead, the study highlights conformity behaviour on social media, showing that critical comments significantly drive negative responses. A significant three-way interaction between evidence, harmfulness, commentary on negative word-of-mouth (WoM) demonstrates that when a CSI event is evidence-based with low harm, critical comments accompanying CSI news provoke substantially greater negative WoM than supportive comments. The eye-tracking results indicate that collective opinions significantly moderated the relationship between visual attention and negative response levels. Specifically, higher visual attention leads to reduced negative responses when customers encounter critical rather than supportive comments. This study makes notable contributions by unwrapping the mechanisms shaping public perceptions of CSI news. It provides valuable insights for companies to mitigate the escalation of CSI news, minimise potential reputational harm, and enhance preparedness in managing CSI-related risks. Additionally, the integration of eye-tracking technology within a scenario-based experimental framework represents a novel methodological advancement, enriching the understanding of consumer behaviour in the context of social media crises.