Purpose

Informed by the third-person effects (TPE) theory, this study aims to analyze restrictive versus corrective actions in response to the perceived TPE of misinformation on social media in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted an online survey among 1,793 adults in the USA in early April. All participants were randomly enrolled in this research through a professional survey company. The structural equation modeling via Amos 20 was adopted for hypothesis testing.

Findings

Results indicated that individuals also perceived that others were more influenced by misinformation about COVID-19 than they were. Further, such a perceptual gap was associated with public support for governmental restrictions and corrective action. Negative affections toward health misinformation directly affected public support for governmental restrictions rather than corrective action. Support for governmental restrictions could further facilitate corrective action.

Originality/value

This study examined the applicability of TPE theory in the context of digital health misinformation during a unique global crisis. It explored the significant role of negative affections in influencing restrictive and corrective actions. Practically, this study offered implications for information and communication educators and practitioners.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-08-2020-0386

中文翻译：

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数字错误信息的假定影响：检查美国公众对政府限制的支持与 COVID-19 大流行中的纠正措施

目的

根据第三人效应 (TPE) 理论，本研究旨在分析针对美国社交媒体上错误信息的感知 TPE 采取的限制性措施与纠正措施。

设计/方法/方法

作者于 4 月初对美国 1,793 名成年人进行了在线调查。所有参与者都是通过专业调查公司随机参加的。采用 Amos 20 的结构方程模型进行假设检验。

调查结果

结果表明，个人还认为其他人比他们更容易受到关于 COVID-19 的错误信息的影响。此外，这种感知差距与公众对政府限制和纠正措施的支持有关。对健康错误信息的负面影响直接影响了公众对政府限制而非纠正行动的支持。支持政府限制可以进一步促进纠正行动。

原创性/价值

本研究检验了 TPE 理论在独特的全球危机期间在数字健康错误信息背景下的适用性。它探讨了负面情绪在影响限制和纠正措施方面的重要作用。实际上，这项研究为信息和传播教育者和从业者提供了启示。

同行评审

本文的同行评审历史可从以下网址获得：https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-08-2020-0386