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Does a perceptual gap lead to actions against digital misinformation? A third-person effect study among medical students

Authors :
Zongya Li
Jun Yan
Source :
BMC Public Health, Vol 24, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
BMC, 2024.

Abstract

Abstract Background We are making progress in the fight against health-related misinformation, but mass participation and active engagement are far from adequate. Focusing on pre-professional medical students with above-average medical knowledge, our study examined whether and how third-person perceptions (TPP), which hypothesize that people tend to perceive media messages as having a greater effect on others than on themselves, would motivate their actions against misinformation. Methods We collected the cross-sectional data through a self-administered paper-and-pencil survey of 1,500 medical students in China during April 2022. Results Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, showed that TPP was negatively associated with medical students’ actions against digital misinformation, including rebuttal of misinformation and promotion of corrective information. However, self-efficacy and collectivism served as positive predictors of both actions. Additionally, we found professional identification failed to play a significant role in influencing TPP, while digital misinformation self-efficacy was found to broaden the third-person perceptual gap and collectivism tended to reduce the perceptual bias significantly. Conclusions Our study contributes both to theory and practice. It extends the third-person effect theory by moving beyond the examination of restrictive actions and toward the exploration of corrective and promotional actions in the context of misinformation., It also lends a new perspective to the current efforts to counter digital misinformation; involving pre-professionals (in this case, medical students) in the fight.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
14712458
Volume :
24
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
BMC Public Health
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.9fc0d682635e48a99bbc46fdee0e313d
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18763-9