Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to analyze medical personnel’s perceptions of online health rumors as a function of two factors: rumor type, and the presence of counter-rumors. The two types of rumors include dread rumors that warn of dangerous consequences, and wish rumors that inform about potential benefits. Counter-rumors are messages that refute rumors. A total of 60 participants (20 doctors + 20 nurses + 20 medical students) were recruited to take part in an experiment. They were exposed to cancer-related dread and wish rumors—some accompanied with counter-rumors while others without counter-rumors. The participants’ perceptions that were examined include intention to trust, and intention to share. These were measured using a questionnaire. A 2 (rumor type: dread, wish) x 2 (presence of counter-rumors: present, absent) factorial analysis of variance was conducted for data analysis. The results indicate that dread rumors were trusted and shared more compared with wish rumors. Besides, counter-rumors were effective in reducing intention to trust and share rumors, especially for dread rumors. Nonetheless, the medically trained participants were generally reluctant to view online health rumors favorably.
| Original language | English |
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| Pages | 457-460 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
| Event | International MultiConference of Engineers and Computer Scientists: International Conference on Internet Computing and Web Services - , Hong Kong Duration: 15 Mar 2017 → 17 Mar 2017 http://www.iaeng.org/IMECS2017/ |
Conference
| Conference | International MultiConference of Engineers and Computer Scientists |
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| Country/Territory | Hong Kong |
| Period | 15/03/17 → 17/03/17 |
| Internet address |