Examining the effects of disinformation and trust on social media users' COVID-19 vaccine decision-making
Information Technology and People
; 2023.
Article
in English
| Scopus | ID: covidwho-2327050
ABSTRACT
Purpose:
Disinformation on social media is a serious issue. This study examines the effects of disinformation on COVID-19 vaccination decision-making to understand how social media users make healthcare decisions when disinformation is presented in their social media feeds. It examines trust in post owners as a moderator on the relationship between information types (i.e. disinformation and factual information) and vaccination decision-making. Design/methodology/approach:
This study conducts a scenario-based web survey experiment to collect extensive survey data from social media users.Findings:
This study reveals that information types differently affect social media users' COVID-19 vaccination decision-making and finds a moderating effect of trust in post owners on the relationship between information types and vaccination decision-making. For those who have a high degree of trust in post owners, the effect of information types on vaccination decision-making becomes large. In contrast, information types do not affect the decision-making of those who have a very low degree of trust in post owners. Besides, identification and compliance are found to affect trust in post owners. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on online disinformation and individual healthcare decision-making by demonstrating the effect of disinformation on vaccination decision-making and providing empirical evidence on how trust in post owners impacts the effects of information types on vaccination decision-making. This study focuses on trust in post owners, unlike prior studies that focus on trust in information or social media platforms. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
Scopus
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
Topics:
Vaccines
Language:
English
Journal:
Information Technology and People
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS