The Impact of User Expertise and Feedback Valence on Digital Cultural Product Innovation: Evidence from the Mobile Gaming Industry
Cong Cheng, Panpan Bao, Jian Dai, and Ze Yang
International Journal of Electronic Commerce,
Volume 30, Number 3, 2026, pp. 439-470.
Abstract:
While user feedback is widely recognized as a catalyst for innovation, firms creating digital cultural products (DCPs) face a critical dilemma: in a sea of contradictory user voices, who should they listen to? The existing literature offers limited guidance, presenting conflicting evidence on the role of feedback valence and often overlooking the crucial distinction between novice and expert users. To address this gap, we develop a nuanced framework to investigate how four distinct types of user feedback—positive novice (PNF), positive expert (PEF), negative novice (NNF), and negative expert (NEF)—affect the pace of innovation in the mobile gaming industry. Drawing on a dataset of 363 games, our findings reveal a counterintuitive dynamic: both PNF and PEF are associated with a slower pace of innovation, while NNF and NEF are associated with a faster pace. Furthermore, the feedback from expert users exerts a significantly stronger influence than that of novices. We also find that the constructive quality of feedback is a powerful moderator, amplifying the positive effects of negative feedback and mitigating the inhibiting effects of positive feedback. This study contributes to the literature by helping to resolve the theoretical debate on feedback valence, offering a more sophisticated model of user heterogeneity, and highlighting the critical role of feedback quality in driving innovation. Our results provide actionable insights for managers on how to strategically navigate their user communities to foster sustained innovation.