How does brand-related user-generated content differ across social media? Evidence reloaded

Abstract In light of the relevant changes in the social media environment in recent years, this paper extends the theoretical framework of user-generated content (UGC) dimensions and updates evidence on how brand-related UGC characteristics vary across social media. Using content analysis and statistical analysis of frequencies, we compare how different social media (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) shape twelve important UGC dimensions. Our findings suggest that, by flattening the differences on visual and richer content, the recent trends have made Facebook and Twitter more similar to YouTube on certain brand-related UGC dimensions (e.g., self-presentation, brand centrality, brand recommen…