Communication Mechanisms and Implications of the COVID-19 Risk Event in Chinese Online Communities.

Based on the context of communication and use of online communities in China, this study explored the characteristics and defects of risk communication of the government and official media in the event of COVID-19, as well as the factors that affected people's perception of the risk and protective behavior. The following results were found: (1) The government and official (mainstream) media accounts suffered from information lag in the early stage of COVID-19, while self-media accounts played the role of risk sensors, which caused people to have less trust in the government and the authorities and turn to the truth on self-media accounts. However, the low accessibility of self-media accounts and the imperfect check mechanism provided a hotbed for rumors, which further led to more fear and worry about risks. (2) During the middle and later periods of COVID-19, the government and the official media began to pay attention to the influence of self-media on peoples' emotions and behavior, and gradually improved the supervision of online information and the operation of official media accounts. This is intended to achieve information consistently and link mechanisms between official media and self-media to prevent and correct mistakes, as well as to achieve effective risk communication of information transparency, opinion exchange, and public sentiment stabilization.

Communication Mechanisms and Implications of the COVID-19 Risk Event in Chinese Online Communities

Based on the context of communication and use of online communities in China, this study explored the characteristics and defects of risk communication of the government and official media in the event of COVID-19, as well as the factors that affected people's perception of the risk and protective behavior. The following results were found: (1) The government and official (mainstream) media accounts suffered from information lag in the early stage of COVID-19, while self-media accounts played the role of risk sensors, which caused people to have less trust in the government and the authorities and turn to the truth on self-media accounts. However, the low accessibility of self-media accounts and the imperfect check mechanism provided a hotbed for rumors, which further led to more fear and worry about risks. (2) During the middle and later periods of COVID-19, the government and the official media began to pay attention to the influence of self-media on peoples' emotions and behavior, and gradually improved the supervision of online information and the operation of official media accounts. This is intended to achieve information consistently and link mechanisms between official media and self-media to prevent and correct mistakes, as well as to achieve effective risk communication of information transparency, opinion exchange, and public sentiment stabilization.

Grouping Together to Fight Cancer: The Role of WeChat Groups on the Social Support and Self-Efficacy.

With the increasing number of cancer survivors, the question of how to coexist with cancer has become more and more pressing. This research uses a mutual help WeChat group organized by cancer patients as the research field to observe the daily interactions of cancer patients, so as to improve understanding of how social media technology can help cancer patients in the treatment and recovery process. The study found that the WeChat group is the main source of health knowledge for the participating cancer patients, and that when compared to traditional web-based patient mutual aid communities, the WeChat group is a more timely, popular, continuous, and accurate source of information. Patients in the group can listen and respond to each other's questions and worries, providing both an outlet for patients to vent their emotions and concerns and a source of recognition and encouragement. In addition, this study found that the WeChat mutual aid group improves patients' self-efficacy of disease on four levels: successful experience in curing patients, imitating patients' behavior, verbal persuasion, and emotional support.