An empirical evaluation of the predictors and consequences of social media health-misinformation seeking behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic
基于社会认知理论，研究新冠疫情中社交媒体健康错误信息寻求行为的预测因素（如健康信息素养缺乏、信息过载、同伴影响）及其对用户焦虑的影响，对230名中国留学生进行问卷调查。
Purpose Drawing upon social cognitive theory, this study aims to investigate the potential predictors and consequences of social media health-misinformation seeking behavior during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 230 international students studying at Wuhan University and Beijing Language and Cultural University, China, this study employs structural equation modeling to analyze the collected data. Findings The results indicate that personal factors such as lack of health information literacy, environmental factors, information overload and social media peer influence have a significant effect on behavior, namely social media health-misinformation seeking behavior, which further influences outcomes, namely social media users' anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, both lack of health information literacy and social media peer influence have significant and direct effects on social media users' anxiety. However, the direct effect of information overload on social media users' anxiety is insignificant. Originality/value First, this study contributes to the literature on the individuals' social media health-misinformation seeking behavior, its precursors and its consequences, specifically on their mental healthcare during a pandemic situation. Second, this research is one of the pioneer studies that extend social cognitive theory to the context of social media health-misinformation seeking behavior and users' anxiety relationship.