Social Media vs. Mass Media: Mitigating the Suspicion of Ulterior Motives in Public Health Communication

Two experiments examined if persuasive effectiveness of health messages varies as a function of the communication channel (Facebook vs. news website), and if so, why. Specifically, we examined perceived ulterior motives of the communicator as an explanation for why public health campaigns may be les...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health communication 2023-09, Vol.38 (11), p.2450-2460
Main Authors: Lee, Eun-Ju, Kim, Hyun Suk, Joo, Min Hwi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Campaigns
Communication
Dental health
Diet
Digital media
Health education
Health information
Health promotion
High fat diet
Low fat diet
Mass media
Messages
Motivation
News
News media
Nutrient deficiency
Persuasion
Public health
Social media
Social networks
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Summary:Two experiments examined if persuasive effectiveness of health messages varies as a function of the communication channel (Facebook vs. news website), and if so, why. Specifically, we examined perceived ulterior motives of the communicator as an explanation for why public health campaigns may be less effective when conveyed via mass-directed (vs. interpersonal) channels, and further investigated if message recipients' health interest moderates such channel effects, if any. In Study 1 (N = 103), reading a medical news reporter's Facebook post on dental health (vs. a news article consisting of the identical content) lowered the participants' suspicion of ulterior motives of the source, which then promoted message-consistent attitudes and behavioral intention. Such effects, however, emerged only for those more interested in health. Using a different topic (a low-carb, high-fat diet), Study 2 (N = 338) replicated Study 1 findings, confirming the conditional persuasive advantages of social media over mass media as a health campaign channel.
ISSN:1041-0236
1532-7027
DOI:10.1080/10410236.2022.2074781