A three-item scale measuring the degree to which a social media tweet is perceived as mean-spirited, negative in tone, and ridiculing in character. Items use single-word descriptors capturing the hostile and disparaging register of tweet content. Originally applied in research on brand responses to competitor tweets and improvised social media marketing, the scale provides a concise assessment of the aggressive or derogatory dimension of social media communication.
7-point Likert
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
Alpha ranged from .857 to .948 across Study 1 pretest (two brand conditions) and Study 2 pretest (two brand conditions) — Thomas & Fowler (2021). Two of the three items ('mean-spirited' and 'negative') were adapted from Pinkleton, Um & Austin (2002), who used them in a political advertising context; the third item ('ridiculing') appears original to Thomas & Fowler (2021). Items are unipolar single-word descriptors. Companion tweet attitude scales: Humorous (ATTWH), Manipulative (ATTWM), Surprising (ATTWS), Timeliness (ATTWTL).
Thomas, Veronica L. and Kendra Fowler (2021). Close encounters of the AI kind: Use of AI influencers as brand endorsers. Journal of Advertising, 50(1), 11–25.
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