Measuring the Persuasive Influence of Talk Show on Social Media Users: Applying Heuristic-Systematic Model with SEM

Abstract

In today's digital age, talk shows have a substantial presence on multiscreen platforms. However, in studying their influence on the viewers, studies rarely investigated how they affect individuals' behavioral determinants, especially in addressing social issues. This present study aimed to fill this gap by exploring the persuasive influence of a talk show about social media usage on the viewers' attitude towards responsible use of social media based on the heuristic systematic information processing model. For this purpose, a video-embedded online questionnaire was used to collect relevant data from the heavy users’ segment of social media in Bangladesh (i.e., the university student social media users). SmartPLS 4.0 was used for partial least square structural equation modeling based on the data gathered from 226 voluntary respondents. The results show that exposure to the talk show does not directly associate with attitudes but with heuristic and systematic information processing modes that, in turn, influence attitude formation. In contrast, the systematic information processing mode predominates the formation of attitudes more than the heuristic mode. The findings have implications to add insights into creating awareness and developing prevention and educational interventions toward promoting responsible use of social media.