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The current study has three main purposes: to examine 1) the impact of theory-driven corrective messages using individual vs. collective frames on information-seeking intention 2) the mediating role of risk perceptions and 3) the moderating role of reflection and gender. Our findings from a randomized experimental study and Hayes' moderated, moderated mediation model show collective frames were associated with high-risk perceptions among women, which in turn led to higher information seeking intention. The second moderator reveals that people who scored higher on reflection were more willing to seek information. Our findings have critical implications for misinformation research by demonstrating the importance of theoretically driven messages in understanding misperceptions as well as people's information seeking behavior.

Individuals increasingly rely on the Internet, and social media in particular, for health-related information. A recent survey reports that 80% of Internet users search for health information online. In the present study, we employ Twitter data to understand content characteristics and the patterns of content flow of the conversations about the HPV vaccine debate. Approaching the HPV vaccine conversations on Twitter as a social network, we can identify key self-formed subgroups-clusters of users who create "siloes" of interactions and information flow. Combining network analysis, computer-aided content analysis, and human-coded content analysis, we explored the communication dynamics within the groups in terms of group members' affective and cognitive characteristics. Our findings show that positive emotion is positively correlated with cluster density, an indicator of strong ties and rapid information flow. In the case of negative emotion, we found that anger is a significant negative predictor for graph density. We also found a correlation between certainty and tentativeness; both at cluster as well as at tweet level, suggesting that clusters bring together people who are sure about the HPV vaccine and people who are exploring for answers.

Although there is a wide variety of scientific evidence that demonstrates the benefits of vaccination on a multitude of diseases, vaccination rates remain low while misperceptions about vaccines are on the rise. The primary objective of the present study is to examine the role of doctor–patient communication and vaccination. We test the impact of doctor–patient communication on trust in doctors' vaccine recommendations as a mediator, to understand the mechanisms leading to positive vaccination attitudes, and ultimately leading to actual H1N1 vaccination behavior. We use data from a nationally representative U.S. sample from one of the Multimedia Audience Research Systems (MARS) data sets collected by Kantar Media. Our results demonstrate the crucial role of doctor–patient communication in building patients' trust in doctors, which in turn positively impact vaccination attitudes and H1N1 vaccination behavior. Unlike other preventive health measures, getting vaccines after a pandemic is a critical decision because these vaccines are previously unknown. Our finding implies that verified communication from the physician's office may be one of the effective strategies during or after a pandemic. Our findings have implications for public health organizations to incorporate effective vaccination communication and could have critical implications for the COVID-19 vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the underlying mechanism of self-presentation on emerging social networking sites (SNSs) where features facilitating simulation of real-life communication are plenty. Although previous scholars have examined self-presentation on social media, very few have investigated the combined influences of extrinsic media features and intrinsic personality trait in orchestrating self-presentation on Instagram, a platform that is highly popular among young adults. Specifically, based on the concepts from media richness theory and survey data collected from 671 young adults, our study showed that perceived media richness of Instagram was positively associated with the young adults' self-presentation on the platform, which, in turn, enhanced their friendship development. Mediation analyses demonstrated that perceived functionality mediated the association between perceived media richness and self-presentation on Instagram. Additionally, tests of moderated mediation indicated that the indirect effect was stronger for young adults who were low on openness. Results underscore the importance of identifying the underlying processes that moderate the mediation between perceived media richness and self-presentation. • Perceived media richness of Instagram is associated with one's self-presentation. • Perceived functionality mediates the media richness effect on self-presentation. • Self-presentation on Instagram enhances friendship development. • Openness moderates the mediation of perceived functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess how previous experiences and new information contributed to COVID-19 vaccine intentions. Design: Online survey (N = 1264) with quality checks. Setting: Cross-sectional U.S. survey fielded June 22-July 18, 2020. Sample: U.S. residents 18+; quotas reflecting U.S. Census, limited to English speakers participating in internet panels. Measures: Media literacy for news content and sources, COVID-19 knowledge; perceived usefulness of health experts; if received flu vaccine in past 12 months; vaccine willingness scale; demographics. Analysis: Structural equation modelling. Results: Perceived usefulness of health experts (b =.422, P <.001) and media literacy (b =.162, P <.003) predicted most variance in vaccine intentions (R-squared=31.5%). A significant interaction (b =.163, P <.001) between knowledge (b = −.132, P =.052) and getting flu shot (b =.185, P <.001) predicted additional 3.5% of the variance in future vaccine intentions. An increase in knowledge of COVID-19 associated with a decrease in vaccine intention among those declining the flu shot. Conclusion: The interaction result suggests COVID-19 knowledge had a positive association with vaccine intention for flu shot recipients but a counter-productive association for those declining it. Media literacy and trust in health experts provided strong counterbalancing influences. Survey-based findings are correlational; thus, predictions are based on theory. Future research should study these relationships with panel data or experimental designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]