Diffusion of COVID-19 misinformation: Mechanisms for threat- and efficacy-related misinformation diffusion

Abstract

Health-related misinformation diffused online is largely comprised of threat- and efficacy-related information but potential differences in the way they are diffused have not been examined extensively. This research examined if and how threat-related COVID-19 misinformation is diffused more actively than the ones concerning the efficacy of protective actions. Further, it explored the mechanisms underlying the diffusion of threat- and efficacy-related misinformation by testing the mediating capacities of the three key drivers of information diffusion– novelty, emotional arousal, and message credibility. Results of multilevel analyses of online survey data (N = 1,012) employing a national quota sample in South Korea showed that threat-related misinformation was diffused more than efficacy-related misinformation. Furthermore, multilevel path models specifying the three key drivers as mediators indicated that the effects of threat-related misinformation on social sharing were explained by greater perceptions of novelty and emotional arousal. Message credibility, however, mediated the effects on sharing intention for those who have not been exposed to a given misinformation but not actual sharing behavior upon exposure, suggesting that the latter may be influenced more by arousal-based responses (e.g., emotional arousal) than sound reasoning (e.g., message credibility). Implications on interventions aiming at curbing health misinformation diffusion are discussed.