Wang Zuoming, Walther Joseph B, Pingree Suzanne, Hawkins Robert P
Department of Communication Studies, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203-5268, USA.
Health Commun. 2008 Jul;23(4):358-68. doi: 10.1080/10410230802229738.
Despite concerns about online health information and efforts to improve its credibility, how users evaluate and utilize such information presented in Web sites and online discussion groups may involve different evaluative mechanisms. This study examined credibility and homophily as two underlying mechanisms for social influence with regard to online health information. An original experiment detected that homophily grounded credibility perceptions and drove the persuasive process in both Web sites and online discussion groups. The more homophilous an online health information stimulus was perceived as being, the more likely people were to adopt the advice offered in that particular piece of information.
尽管人们对在线健康信息存在担忧，且一直在努力提高其可信度，但用户如何评估和利用网站及在线讨论组中呈现的此类信息可能涉及不同的评估机制。本研究考察了可信度和同质性，将其作为在线健康信息社会影响的两个潜在机制。一项原创实验发现，同质性奠定了可信度认知的基础，并推动了网站和在线讨论组中的说服过程。人们认为在线健康信息刺激越具有同质性，就越有可能采纳该特定信息中提供的建议。
