Chao Fan, Wang Xin, Yu Guang
School of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China.
Front Psychol. 2021 Dec 6;12:783415. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.783415. eCollection 2021.
Owing to the proliferation of rumors on social media, it is necessary to disseminate debunking information to minimize the harm caused by them. Using content analysis, sentiment analysis, and regression analysis, this study examined the mediating role of follower count in the relationship between the debunker's identity and sharing behavior, and it explored the relationship between the text sentiment of debunking information and sharing behavior based on data on the spread of three rumors that circulated extensively on social media. Using an ordinary account as a reference, we found that the mediating or suppression effect (i.e., when direct and indirect effects are significant and opposite) of follower count in the relationship between debunker's identity (celebrity, media, or government) and sharing behavior was significant. The three test identities (celebrity, media, and government) had more followers than the ordinary account, which resulted in a significant positive effect on the number of reposts. The debunker's identity did not have a positive effect on the sharing of debunking information when controlling for mediating variables. Debunking information with emotional overtones (positive or negative) was shared more widely compared with information with neutral emotions, and the dominant emotional polarity was different in the three different rumors. These findings can contribute to the generation of debunking information content, which can aid in the development of effective communication strategies and improvement in the efficiency of crisis management.
由于社交媒体上谣言的泛滥，有必要传播辟谣信息以尽量减少其造成的危害。本研究运用内容分析、情感分析和回归分析，基于在社交媒体上广泛传播的三条谣言传播数据，考察了粉丝数量在辟谣者身份与分享行为之间关系中的中介作用，并探讨了辟谣信息的文本情感与分享行为之间的关系。以普通账号为参照，我们发现粉丝数量在辟谣者身份（名人、媒体或政府）与分享行为之间关系中的中介或抑制效应（即直接效应和间接效应显著且相反时）显著。三个测试身份（名人、媒体和政府）的粉丝数量均多于普通账号，这对转发数量产生了显著的正向影响。在控制中介变量时，辟谣者身份对辟谣信息的分享没有正向影响。与中性情感的信息相比，带有情感色彩（积极或消极）的辟谣信息分享得更广泛，且在三条不同谣言中占主导的情感极性有所不同。这些发现有助于生成辟谣信息内容，有助于制定有效的传播策略并提高危机管理效率。
