The Importance of ‘Likes’: The Interplay of Message Framing, Source, and Social Endorsement on Credibility Perceptions of Health Information on Facebook

Online sources not only permeate the information-seeking environment of the younger generation, but also have profound influence in shaping their beliefs and behaviors. In this landscape, examining the factors responsible for credibility perceptions of online information is fundamental, particularly...

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Veröffentlicht in:Journal of health communication Jg. 23; H. 4; S. 399 - 411
Hauptverfasser: Borah, Porismita, Xiao, Xizhu
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: United States Taylor & Francis Ltd 01.01.2018
Schlagworte:
Alcohol use
Between-subjects design
Credibility
Drinking behavior
Experts versus novices
Frame analysis
Health
Health education
Health information
Information
Information gathering
Information seeking behavior
Information sources
Perceptions
Physical activity
Physical fitness
Research design
Social media
Social networks
ISSN:1081-0730, 1087-0415, 1087-0415
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Zusammenfassung:Online sources not only permeate the information-seeking environment of the younger generation, but also have profound influence in shaping their beliefs and behaviors. In this landscape, examining the factors responsible for credibility perceptions of online information is fundamental, particularly for health-related information. Using a 2 (frames: gain vs. loss) × 2 (source: expert vs. non-expert) × 2 (social endorsement: high vs. low) randomized between-subjects experimental design, this study examines the effect of health message framing and the moderating effects of social endorsement and source type on credibility perceptions of Facebook posts. Testing across two issues--physical activity and alcohol consumption--findings indicate that the gain-framed message was perceived as most credible. Additionally, significant three-way interactions suggest that social endorsement and source type affect the relationship between message framing and credibility perceptions. Specifically, the findings demonstrate that a gain-framed message from an expert source with high number of 'likes' is considered the most credible message. These findings have significant implications for information gathering from social media sources, such as the influence of 'likes' on health information.
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ISSN:1081-0730
1087-0415
1087-0415
DOI:10.1080/10810730.2018.1455770