A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Understanding the Impact of Information Sources on COVID-19 related Preventive Measures in Finland
Authors: Farooq Ali, Laato Samuli, Islam A.K.M. Najmul, Isoaho Jouni
Publisher: Elsevier
Publication year: 2021
Journal: Technology in Society
Article number: 101573
Volume: 65
eISSN: 1879-3274
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101573
Web address : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X21000488?via=ihub
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/53074307
The COVID-19
pandemic amplified the influence of information reporting on human behavior, as
people were forced to quickly adapt to a new health threatening situation by
relying on new information. Drawing from protection-motivation and cognitive
load theories, we formulated a structural model eliciting the impact of the
three online information sources: (1) social media, (2) official websites, and
(3) other online news sources; on motivation to adopt recommended COVID-19
preventive measures. The model was tested with the data collected from
university employees and students (n=225) in March 2020 through an online
survey and analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling
(PLS-SEM). We observed that social media and other online news sources
increased information overload amongst the online information sources. This, in
turn, negatively affected individuals' self-isolation intention by increasing
perceived response costs and decreasing response efficacy. The study highlights
the role of online information sources on preventive behaviors during
pandemics.
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |  |
