Effects of social media empowerment on COVID-19 preventive behaviors in China
Information Technology & People
ISSN: 0959-3845
Article publication date: 10 March 2023
Issue publication date: 18 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, ubiquitous social media has become a primary channel for information dissemination, social interactions and recreational activities. However, it remains unclear how social media usage influences nonpharmaceutical preventive behavior of individuals in response to the pandemic. This paper aims to explore the impacts of social media on COVID-19 preventive behaviors based on the theoretical lens of empowerment.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, survey data has been collected from 739 social media users in China to conduct structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis.
Findings
The results indicate that social media empowers individuals in terms of knowledge seeking, knowledge sharing, socializing and entertainment to promote preventive behaviors at the individual level by increasing each person's perception of collective efficacy and social cohesion. Meanwhile, social cohesion negatively impacts the relationship between collective efficacy and individual preventive behavior.
Originality/value
This study provides insights regarding the role of social media in crisis response and examines the role of collective beliefs in the influencing mechanism of social media. The results presented herein can be used to guide government agencies seeking to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Jiandong Lu and Xiaolei Wang have contributed equally to this paper.
This research was supported by the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (#72202037, #72034001, #71974044), Heilongjiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (#YQ2020G004) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in UIBE (21QN01) and in HIT (Grant No. HIT.OCEF.2022054 and HIT.HSS.DZ201905).
Citation
Lu, J., Wang, X., Fei, L., Chen, G. and Feng, Y. (2024), "Effects of social media empowerment on COVID-19 preventive behaviors in China", Information Technology & People, Vol. 37 No. 2, pp. 753-792. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-05-2022-0412
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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