Understanding the impact of information sources on COVID-19 related preventive measures in Finland

Farooq, Ali and Laato, Samuli and Islam, A.K.M. Najmul and Isoaho, Jouni (2021) Understanding the impact of information sources on COVID-19 related preventive measures in Finland. Technology in Society, 65. 101573. ISSN 0160-791X (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101573)

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Abstract

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.

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