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Web Searching for Health: Theoretical Foundations for Analyzing Problematic Search Engine Use

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Social Informatics (SocInfo 2011)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 6984))

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Abstract

Increasingly, consumers are searching online for health information. This rise in Web searching for health calls for a theoretical approach that explains the problems associated with consumers’ use of search engines for health information retrieval. In this context, this paper provides an exploratory framework for understanding problematic search engine use in the context of online health information retrieval. It extends Caplan’s (2005) theoretical framework of problematic Internet use by integrating users’ cognitive shift in the search process. The framework highlights the cognitive, behavioural and affective symptoms leading to negative outcomes of improper search engine use. Finally, the paper discusses implications of adopting the framework for understanding consumers’ search behaviour in health information retrieval.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

    Pallavi Rao & Marko M. Skoric

Authors
  1. Pallavi Rao
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  2. Marko M. Skoric
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computer Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Block N4, Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore

    Anwitaman Datta

  2. University of Massachusetts Amherst, Thompson Hall, 200 Hicks Way, 01003, Amherst, MA, USA

    Stuart Shulman

  3. Singapore Management University, Singapore

    Baihua Zheng

  4. Graduate Institute of Networking and Multimedia, Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Taiwan University,, Roosevelt Rd., 10617, Taipei, Taiwan

    Shou-De Lin

  5. School of Computer Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Block N4, Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore

    Aixin Sun

  6. School of Information Systems, Singapore Management University, 80 Stamford Rd, 178902, Singapore

    Ee-Peng Lim

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Rao, P., Skoric, M.M. (2011). Web Searching for Health: Theoretical Foundations for Analyzing Problematic Search Engine Use. In: Datta, A., Shulman, S., Zheng, B., Lin, SD., Sun, A., Lim, EP. (eds) Social Informatics. SocInfo 2011. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 6984. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-24704-0_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-24704-0_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-24703-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-24704-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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