(1) Consumer reactions to nWOM in SNBCs depend on community type. The results of our field study reveal that nWOM evokes more negative consumer reactions in social-goal communities (i.e., communities in which members predominantly strive for social goals) in terms of less active participation behavior compared to functional-goal communities (i.e., communities in which members predominantly strive for functional goals). In social-goal communities, community members are enthusiastic about a brand and seek like-minded others with whom they can share their common passion for a brand. Thus, in social-goal communities, community members do not seek diverse information about a brand; instead, they seek positive communication. In functional-goal communities, however, community members are primarily interested in exchanging and receiving diverse, objective information about a brand and its products which are not available with an equivalent credibility outside the community. Thus, the members of a functional-goal community are not solely interested in merely positive communication about the brand which might be already know through firms' marketing efforts; instead, they also seek for nWOM communication