Responding to Causal Uncertainty in the Twitterverse: When Abstract Language and Social Prominence Increase Message Engagement

Events that capture the public’s attention are saturated with causal uncertainty (i.e., uncertainty about why things happen). Yet, little is known about the type of language that is favored when communicating such events. We study this issue in the context of social media, as social media platforms are powerful tools for communication in politics and business, especially during times of heightened causal uncertainty. When causal uncertainty is...