Adolescents’ responses to social media newsfeed advertising: the interplay of persuasion knowledge, benefit-risk assessment, and ad scepticism in explaining information disclosure

Abstract

Integrating the persuasion knowledge model (PKM) and privacy calculus model (PCM), this study examines how adolescents’ persuasion knowledge and benefit-risk assessment of social media newsfeed advertising (SMNA) influences their coping responses. An online survey of 305 Facebook users aged 13 or older in the U.S. shows that adolescents’ persuasion knowledge of SMNA has a positive impact on their benefit assessment (message relevance), but not on risk assessment (privacy risk). Furthermore, adolescents’ benefit-risk assessment has an effect on their scepticism toward SMNA, which in turn leads to information disclosure on Facebook. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords:

• Adolescents
• social media newsfeed advertising
• persuasion knowledge model
• privacy calculus model
• advertising scepticism
• information disclosure

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Emerson College Faculty Development Fund and The University of Melbourne Faculty Research Grant.