Abstract
The purpose of this research is to determine whether users’ social interaction tie and trust have a mediating effect on the willingness to use the online healthcare community (OHC) platform on an ongoing basis to respond to food safety crises and monitor food safety practices. During the three-month survey, we conducted an online investigation of users who had experience sharing on the OHC platform and were concerned about food safety. Thereby, three hundred and fifty-two valid questionnaires were received and partial least squares was adopted in this study to test the proposed hypotheses. The empirical results show that perceived critical mass, image, and para-social interaction strengthen the social interaction tie between users and the food safety platform. In addition, this study found that social interaction tie and trust of OHC platform users increased users’ willingness to continue using the OHC platform. This research provides OHC platform managers with an in-depth understanding of online social interactions on food safety pages. Moreover, the results of this study can help food business owners, government regulators, hospitals, and physicians to improve the way they use the Web for opinion-led food safety crises and provide insight into the intent of promoting the ongoing use of OHC platforms.
Highlights
In the measurement mode analysis phase, two main things are determined: (1) to verify that the measurement variables in the mode are correctly measured to their latent variables under the overall mode consideration; and (2) to check whether there are complex measurement variables loaded on different factors
We apply theories related to health care network use behavior to a scenario of participants who care his/her health and food safety responding to a food safety crisis, and propose that PCM, IM, and Para-social Interaction (PSI) obtained by users in the online healthcare community (OHC) platform indirectly affect ongoing use behavior, which is supported by empirical evidence
When doctors on the OHC platform interact and communicate with users by posting food safety health science articles and Q&A, it will enhance the trust of users to the OHC platform
Summary
Most of the major food safety issues in recent years have been exposed by consumers through social media. Social media, with its low threshold of use, easy access to information, speed of dissemination, and influence in terms of breadth and depth, is attracting more and more users to participate in the attention and dissemination of food safety-related information. The rapid dissemination of food safety-related information in social media increases consumer awareness of food safety publicity and precautions, and can facilitate timely measures by regulatory authorities to solve food safety The rapid dissemination of food safety information in social media has increased consumer awareness of food safety and the need to take precautionary measures to address food safety issues, and has helped to regulate food safety issues by restraining food companies to produce and operate legally
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