Examining the antecedents of everyday rumor retransmission

Abstract

PurposeThis study investigates factors that motivate social media users to retransmit rumors. We focus on everyday rumors rather than catastrophic rumors and develop a model of everyday rumor retransmission based on the uses and gratification theory, the rumor retransmission model, and the basic law of rumor.Design/methodology/approachAn Internet survey is conducted to collect data and test the proposed model. This study’s hypotheses are tested through partial least squares regression analysis.FindingsThe results show that socializing, information seeking and status seeking increase the intention to retransmit rumors. Perceived rumor credibility has a moderating effect on the impacts of socializing and status seeking on retransmission intention.Originality/valueOur research model provides a theoretical foundation for future studies that want to explore motivations or values that determine rumor-sharing intention on social media. The findings can help government agencies and businesses to manage rumor retransmission on social media.

Information distortion in word-of-mouth retransmission: the effects of retransmitter intention and source expertise

“…Second, the factors that affect information distortion in the WOM retransmission context are not limited to the retransmitter’s intention, which was investigated in this study. There are other variables, including personal characteristics (Lin et al, 2021 ), such as traits (Lai et al, 2020 ), age (Sudhir et al, 2018 ), and prior knowledge (Melumad et al, 2021 ); the product subject’s attributes in WOM transmission; or contextual characteristics, such as the subject of WOM transmission or media. Therefore, additional studies should be conducted regarding the various moderating factors.…”

“…Furthermore, previous studies have indicated that the relationships within and structures of transmission networks influence the dissemination of WOM information (Brown & Reingen, 1987 ; Frenzen & Nakamoto, 1993 ; Reingen & Kernan, 1986 ). For example, the degree of information spread in a social network depends on the personal relationships within the network or the strength of ties (such as cliques) among members (Granovetter, 1973 ; Hage & Harary, 1983 ; Lin et al, 2021 ; Mendoza et al, 2010 ). Another study examining the structure of WOM spread found that information trickles down from top to bottom, and the bottom group tends to have an identical replaceable structure that allows for the dissemination of information without any direct connections (Breiger et al, 1975 ; Knoke & Kulinski, 1982 ; White et al, 1976 ).…”

“…Previous communication studies have argued that source credibility increases the likelihood of persuasion (Chen et al, 2021 ; Horai et al, 1974 ; Hovland & Weiss, 1951 ; Johnson & Izzett, 1969 ; Powell, 1965 ; Warren, 1969 ) and is derived from the source’s expertise or trustworthiness (Hovland et al, 1953 ). In particular, researchers have examined source expertise as a key factor that increases source credibility, thereby positively affecting the attitudes of other individuals in communication contexts (Gilly et al, 1998 ; Hass, 1981 ; Lin et al, 2021 ; Lu et al, 2022 ; Nataraajan & Chawla, 1997 ; Pornpitakpan, 2004 ; Sternthal et al, 1978 ). Source expertise refers to a receiver’s perception of whether a sender is sufficiently knowledgeable to make accurate judgments and recommendations regarding a certain issue (Birnbaum & Stegner, 1979 ; Hovland et al, 1953 ).…”

Establishing the typology and the underlying structure of rumor-combating behaviors: a multidimensional scaling approach

“…Social media, with its openness, convenience, low cost, and widespread use, has become a major platform for online social interaction and information transmission (Lin et al, 2021;Almerekhi et al, 2022). However, the lack of strict gate-keeping makes social media platforms fertile ground for users to post and spread online rumors, which can lead to major chaos and destructive consequences (Alkhodair et al, 2020;Pal and Banerjee, 2020).…”

“…Social media, with its openness, convenience, low cost, and widespread use, has become a major platform for online social interaction and information transmission (Lin et al. , 2021; Almerekhi et al.…”