Cognitive Dissonance-Driven Word-of-Mouth Resistance: A Study of the Blocking Effect of the Mouth Link in the ISMAS Model and Generation Z's "Anti-recommendation" Behavior

Currently, digital consumption has become mainstream, and social e-commerce platforms are increasingly important. As the leading consumer demographic, Gen Z relies heavily on online word-of-mouth, where the phenomenon of "anti-recommendation" is common. Negative word of mouth is particularly prominent, giving rise to active searches for "pitfall avoidance" and "bad reviews" to verify authenticity and assess risk. Within the ISMAS (Interest-Search-Mouth-Action-Share) model framework, this reflects a decision-altering pathway where Interest triggers Mouth (verification), leading to Action blockage. This study reveals the anti-marketing logic of Generation Z in word-of-mouth management on social e-commerce platforms, and optimizes the ISMAS model to provide risk-hedging strategies for enterprises. Questionnaire and SPSS analysis show that negative word-of-mouth and cognitive dissonance significantly affect purchase intention, but active seeking of negative word-of-mouth represents high cognitive cost, triggered less than low-cognitive emotional validation. Thus, platform managers and merchants need to improve through constructing dynamic IWOM (Internet Word of Mouth) governance, reconfiguring advertisement dissemination, and optimizing algorithmic architecture.