Lift the veil of rumors: the impact of the characteristics of information sources on the effectiveness of rumors spreading
Lift the veil of rumors: the impact of the characteristics of information sources on the effectiveness of rumors spreading
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DOI：
10.1108/intr-11-2020-0620
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发表时间：
2021-08
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Lu (Monroe) Meng;Tongmao Li;Xin Huang;S. Li
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Lu (Monroe) Meng;Tongmao Li;Xin Huang;S. Li
研究目的本研究旨在探讨网络谣言的信息特征对人们相信和传播网络谣言的影响。设计/方法/途径本研究采用定性和定量相结合的混合方法。研究一采用质性研究的方法，探讨不同类型的谣言及其信息来源特征。研究二利用研究一的结果，通过内容分析和定量研究，构建了一个实证模型，验证了这些特征对公众相信和传播谣言行为的影响。神秘性和具体性--影响不同类型谣言的传播效果。研究局限/本研究深化了谣言传播的信息源特征理论，丰富了谣言传播研究的新视角，本研究将信息源特征理论引入到谣言传播领域，采用混合方法，以COVID-19谣言为典型案例，为更深入地了解谣言传播的前因提供了独特的视角。
PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the impacts of rumors' information characteristics on people's believing and spreading of rumors online.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a mixed-methods approach by combining qualitative and quantitative methods. In study 1, the authors explored different types of rumors and their information source characteristics through qualitative research. In study 2, the authors utilized the findings from study 1 to develop an empirical model to verify the impact of these characteristics on the public's behaviors of believing and spreading rumors by content analysis and quantitative research.FindingsThe results show that five information source characteristics – credibility, professionalism, attractiveness, mystery and concreteness – influence the spreading effect of different types of rumors.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to rumor spreading research by deepening the theory of information source characteristics and adding to the emerging literature on the COVID-19 pandemic.Practical implicationsInsights from this research offer important practical implications for policymakers and online-platform operators by highlighting how to suppress the spread of rumors, particularly those associated with COVID-19.Originality/valueThis research introduces the theory of information source characteristics into the field of rumor spreading and adopts a mixed-methods approach, taking COVID-19 rumors as a typical case, which provides a unique perspective for a deeper understanding of rumor spreading's antecedences.