For Shame! Socially Unacceptable Brand Mentions on Social Media Motivate Consumer Disengagement.

This article investigates why consumers who are highly connected to a brand may disengage from it on social media when they observe others mentioning the brand in socially unacceptable ways, such as using profanity. The research identifies that such socially unacceptable brand mentions create a social identity threat that induces vicarious shame in these consumers, motivating them to distance themselves from the brand, often resulting in behaviors like unfollowing. Across three studies—including analysis of Major League Baseball (MLB) Twitter data and controlled experiments with NFL and sportswear brands—the authors demonstrate that this disengagement occurs despite consumers maintaining positive brand attitudes. Furthermore, the research shows that proactive brand moderation of unacceptable posts can mitigate disengagement intentions among highly connected consumers. These findings highlight limitations to the protective effects of strong self–brand connections and underscore the importance of managing social media communities to reduce identity threats and consumer disengagement.