Consumer Impressions of Media Products: The Effects of Trigger Warnings on Perceived Credibility and Product Attitudes

Abstract

This study examines how content warnings, specifically trigger warnings, influence consumer evaluations of a media product. Trigger warnings are voluntarily added by publishers before a piece of content and are often presented alongside age-based ratings that are typically mandatory in the film industry. Drawing on theories of credibility, heuristic processing, and ideological orientation, this research investigated whether the presence of a trigger warning affects perceived credibility and attitudes toward a media product. Participants were randomly assigned to view either a trigger warning or a control message prior to watching a movie clip. Results indicated that exposure to a trigger warning led to significantly less favourable product attitudes compared to the control condition. However, trigger warnings did not significantly influence perceived credibility, nor did credibility mediate the relationship between content warning type and product attitudes. Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) did not reliably moderate these effects.