Professional Identity and Perceived Crisis Severity as Antecedents of Healthcare Professionals’ Responses to Health Misinformation on Social Media

Abstract

AbstractThis study aims to determine the extent to which human information agents, such as healthcare professionals, respond to health misinformation on social media (i.e., by correcting it using private priming, public priming, private rebuttal, and public rebuttal, including reporting misinformation). Moreover, guided by social identity theory (SIT) and situational crisis communication theory (SCCT), it also aims to determine whether professional identity, perceived crisis severity, and their interaction are associated with such responses. Online survey data among 377 US healthcare professionals (i.e., nurses and medical doctors) were collected in October 2020. Linear regression and structural equation modeling were performed to determine the association between professional identity, perceived crisis severity, and their interaction with each of healthcare professionals’ responses to health misinformation on social media. Results show that most healthcare professionals responded to health misinformation on social media by performing public methods of correction, such as public priming and public rebuttal. Those with high professional identity were more likely to respond to health misinformation on social media. The interaction of professional identity and perceived crisis severity showed that those with high professional identity and high perceived crisis severity were likely to perform private priming, public priming, private rebuttal, public rebuttal, and report health misinformation. Overall, responses to health misinformation on social media, such as correcting and reporting misinformation can be explained using SIT and SCCT. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.KeywordsInformation agentsPerceived crisis severityProfessional identitySocial correctionSocial media