It doesn’t take a village to fall for misinformation: Social media use, discussion heterogeneity preference, worry of the virus, faith in scientists, and COVID-19-related misinformation beliefs

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101547Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Social media use is positively associated with the COVID-19-related misinformation beliefs.

  • Discussion heterogeneity preference is negatively associated with the COVID-19-related misinformation beliefs.

  • Worry is a significant mediator of the associations between (a) social media use, (b) discussion heterogeneity preference and misinformation beliefs.

  • Among those who hold greater faith in scientists, the indirect effect of discussion heterogeneity preference on misinformation belief became more significant.

Abstract

With the circulation of misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization has raised concerns about an “infodemic,” which exacerbates people’s misperceptions and deters preventive measures. Against this backdrop, this study examined the conditional indirect effect of social media use and discussion heterogeneity preference on COVID-19-related misinformation beliefs in the United States, using a national survey. Findings suggested that social media use was positively associated with misinformation beliefs, while discussion heterogeneity preference was negatively associated with misinformation beliefs. Furthermore, worry of COVID-19 was found to be a significant mediator as both associations became more significant when mediated through worry. In addition, faith in scientists served as a moderator that mitigated the indirect effect of discussion heterogeneity preference on misinformation beliefs. That is, among those who had stronger faiths in scientists, the indirect effect of discussion heterogeneity preference on misinformation belief became more negative. The findings revealed communication and psychological factors associated with COVID-19-related misinformation beliefs and provided insights into coping strategies during the pandemic.

Keywords

Misinformation
COVID-19
Social media
Discussion heterogeneity
Worry
Faith in scientists

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