Consumer Motivation to Share Negative Experiences in an Online Environment

The objective of this bachelor's thesis is to analyze the self-reported motivations of consumers who have previously shared a negative experience in an online environment, with a focus on comparing altruistic and egocentric motives. Furthermore, the thesis examines the role of negative emotion intensity in this decision-making process. The research was conducted through a quantitative questionnaire survey involving 121 relevant respondents, and the data were analyzed using paired t-tests, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and one-way ANOVA. The results indicate that when sharing negative reviews, respondents primarily reported an altruistic motivation to protect the community, which outweighed the desire for retaliation. Empirically, a relationship with emotional intensity was confirmed – higher reported intensity of overall negative emotions was associated with a higher level of egocentric motivation. Furthermore, a weak yet statistically significant positive correlation was found between disappointment and the egocentric need for revenge. Although the relationship between anger and altruism was not confirmed, supplementary analysis showed that anger also correlates more strongly with egocentrism. Supplementary analyses also revealed that experienced reviewers exhibit a higher degree of altruism (which can be interpreted as a tendency to assume the role of consumer advocates). The thesis provides a theoretical contribution to consumer psychology and offers managers practical recommendations for early detection of frustration and optimization of customer care.