The Aggregate Effects of Decentralized Knowledge Production: Financial Bloggers and Information Asymmetries in the Stock Market
Journal of Communication, vol. 63, no. 6, pp. 1054-1069, 2013
26 Pages Posted: 19 Apr 2014
Date Written: April 30, 2013
Abstract
New media have markedly enhanced individuals’ capacity to produce and disseminate original knowledge; however, the literature has not extensively examined the broad effects of such decentralized production processes. The current study thus focuses on a unique context — the stock market — in which it is possible to test the aggregate impact of blog-based information production. Using data on 150 top financial bloggers and stock returns from the S&P 500, this study supports the hypothesis that financial blogging activity diminishes harmful information asymmetries between key market investors. This study thus adds to the “media effects” literature, highlights the societal relevance of bloggers, and shows how economic concepts and financial market settings can be employed for powerfully testing communication theories.
Keywords: blogs, economics, financial markets, knowledge production, information asymmetry, information environment, media effects, stock prices, new media
JEL Classification: G10, G14, M41
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation