Understanding users’ news-sharing behaviors: roles of risk perception, believability, fake news awareness and social tie variety
Industrial Management & Data Systems
ISSN: 0263-5577
Article publication date: 12 November 2024
Issue publication date: 24 January 2025
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of news quality on users’ risk perceptions toward online news and its subsequent influence on perceived believability and user engagement in sharing news. Additionally, we explore the moderating effects of fake news awareness and social tie variety.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing upon the social amplification of risk framework, this study investigates the relationship between news quality and users’ news-sharing behaviors, along with its underlying mechanism. An online questionnaire involving 399 eligible participants was employed for hypotheses testing, and the structural equation model served as the main analytical method.
Findings
The influence of news quality on users’ news-sharing behavior is sequentially mediated by risk perception and perceived believability. Individuals with a heightened awareness of fake news or a diverse social tie are more inclined to perceive greater risks associated with news-sharing behavior and question news authenticity.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing literature on users’ news-sharing behaviors by examining the influence of risk perception on the relationship between news quality, perceived believability and users’ news-sharing behavior. Additionally, it explores the moderating effects of fake news awareness and social tie variety. Our findings offer valuable insights into comprehending user inclinations towards news sharing and mitigating the dissemination of fake news.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the constructive comments of the anonymous referees on an earlier version of this paper. This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No: 72471160, 62001314), Ministry of Education in China (MOE) Project of Humanity and Social Science (No: 24YJA630103), Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province (Nos: 2024NSFSC1057 and 2024NSFSC1062) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Nos: JBK2406047 and 2024ZY-SX08).
Citation
Wu, Y., Ngai, E.W.T. and Wu, P. (2025), "Understanding users’ news-sharing behaviors: roles of risk perception, believability, fake news awareness and social tie variety", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 125 No. 2, pp. 433-457. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-01-2024-0039
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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