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Unverified information avoidance behavior refers to the conscious effort made by individuals to avoid consuming information that has not been verified by credible sources. This behavior is essential in preventing the spread of misinformation that can hinder effective public health responses. While previous studies have examined information avoidance behavior in general, there is a lack of research specifically focusing on the avoidance of unverified information during health crises. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring factors that lead to social media users’ unverified information avoidance behavior during health crises, providing novel insights into the determinants of this protective behavior.

We based our research model on the health belief model and validated it using data collected from 424 individuals who use social media. The proposed model was tested by using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach.

Our results indicate that individuals’ government social media participation (following accounts and joining groups) affects their health beliefs (perceived severity and benefits of information avoidance), which in turn trigger their unverified information avoidance behavior.

Our study contributes to the current literature of social media crisis management and information avoidance behavior. The implications of these findings for policymakers, social media platforms and theory are further discussed.

One of the simplest ways to improve the profitability of a business is by saving energy. Responding to recent calls to investigate the mechanism leading to individuals’ energy-saving behaviors in the workplace, this study aims to investigate combining person-environment (PE) fit theory with normative factors to understand employees’ decisions to engage in energy-saving activities.

The results of an online survey reveal that person-organization fit, person-job fit and moral norm significantly affect employees’ energy-saving intention.

Furthermore, the findings show that moral norm is the strongest predictor of employees’ willingness to save energy. The results also demonstrate the interrelated relationships between PE fit and normative factors.

The results contribute overall to a greater understanding of energy-saving practices in the organizational context. Apart from the theoretical contributions, the findings of the current investigation offer valuable practical insights for organizations and policymakers to promote energy conservation practices.

Many companies have now built brand fan pages (BFPs) on social media platforms to connect with their existing and potential customers. Nevertheless, the inability to retain existing followers would severely threaten the survival of BFPs and the effectiveness of a company's social media strategies. Drawing upon Furneaux and Wade's discontinuance framework, our study develops a research model to understand the BFP user's intention to discontinue following a BFP.

An empirical study was conducted through an online survey of Chinese social media users. The proposed model was tested by analyzing the collected data using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach.

The results reveal that dissatisfaction with information quality, unfollowing costs, trust and alternative attractiveness affect the individual's intention to unfollow a BFP. Notably, unfollowing costs is the most powerful factor to predict followers' propensity to discontinue.

Our study contributes to the understanding of the discontinuance of information systems. Theoretical implications for future social commerce research as well as practical suggestions for BFP operators are also discussed.

Companies create brand fan pages (BFPs) on social media platforms to broadcast product information, increase brand awareness and engage customers. A common challenge facing BFPs is how to attract and retain followers effectively. Through the lens of the theory of person–environment fit (TPEF), the purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a theoretical model to explain the role of multidimensional fit perceptions in cultivating BFP users’ continued following intention.

Data collected from 193 active followers of BFPs on Sina Weibo, the most prevalent social media platform in China, were used to test the proposed model. The partial least squares method was employed to assess the relationships in the model.

The findings reveal that users will continue to follow the BFP if their needs align with what the BFP provides, and if they perceive their values and characteristics to match those of the brand and fellow followers.

This study is among the first to extend the research context of the TPEF from organizational behaviors to examining how perceived fit influences users’ continued intention to follow in the social media context. In addition to the theoretical contributions, the findings of this study have important implications for practitioners who undertake social media management or user behavior analysis.

The WeChat mini-program is a new channel for the delivery of online and mobile services, including electronic government services. Given the distinguishing characteristics and new business model of WeChat mini-programs, additional studies of mini-program-based government services are warranted. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that determine user adoption and usage of government WeChat mini-programs (GWMPs).

An empirical study was conducted through an online survey of Chinese GWMPs users. The proposed model was tested by analyzing the collected data using the covariance-based structural equation modeling approach.

The findings show that trust in government, trust in WeChat, trust in GWMPs and perceived convenience have significant effects on the usage of GWMPs.

This study contributes to the understanding of the GWMPs and mini-program-based government phenomenon. Theoretical implications for future e-government research as well as practical suggestions for GWMPs operators are also discussed.