SCIENCE@home

From attention to action: differential effects of positive and negative media coverage of digital technology on corporate giving

Feng Wang,Dongdi Lei,Yiyun Tan

Published 2026 in Marketing Intelligence & Planning

ABSTRACT

While prior research has primarily emphasized the efficiency gains enabled by digital technologies, relatively little attention has been paid to media sentiment toward them. This study aims to examine how positive and negative media coverage of digital technology affects corporate giving, uncovering a critical tension between firms’ legitimacy-seeking and efficiency-oriented motivations in the digital era. Using a panel dataset of Chinese-listed manufacturing firms from 2007 to 2021, we examine the impact of media sentiment (positive and negative) toward digital technology on corporate giving. We further explore the moderating effects of firm profitability and visibility. The results indicate that positive media coverage of digital technology promotes corporate giving, particularly for firms characterized by lower profitability or higher visibility. In contrast, negative media coverage reduces corporate giving, with firm profitability mitigating and visibility amplifying this adverse effect. This study shifts the focus from internal efficiency gains to external legitimacy pressures by highlighting how public narratives about digital technology influence corporate social behavior. It contributes to the literature on digital technology and corporate giving by uncovering how media attention, both positive and negative, can act as a critical driver of corporate giving, with their effects contingent on firm-specific characteristics.

PUBLICATION RECORD

CITATION MAP

EXTRACTION MAP

CLAIMS

  • No claims are published for this paper.

CONCEPTS

  • No concepts are published for this paper.

REFERENCES

Showing 1-56 of 56 references · Page 1 of 1

CITED BY

  • No citing papers are available for this paper.

Showing 0-0 of 0 citing papers · Page 1 of 1