Separating the Art from the Artist? Evidence From Social Media and Online Reviews as Responses to Transgressions of Actors

Transgressions by public figures can have a detrimental impact on their public images and professional careers. This study examines the impact of negative publicity on social media engagement and online reviews, specifically focusing on the disclosure of sexual misconduct by actors. We examined whether individuals are capable of separating the art from the artist by investigating the personal and professional outcomes of boycotting behaviors, including social media follower growth dynamics and various components of online reviews, such as rating, sentiment, and text length. The results suggest that the rate of follower growth on social media platforms decreases following the sexual misconduct disclosure. Additionally, post-disclosure reviews exhibit a greater degree of unfavorable sentiment and a longer review text, which implies a balanced approach of providing a more detailed and negative review through review content rather than evaluating the work by simply lashing out and purposefully assigning a lower rating.