Impacts of the COVID-19 infodemic on emotions through cognitive appraisals
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 outbreak has been accompanied by a massive “infodemic”, characterized by an overabundance of information, both accurate and inaccurate, making it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance. This study aims to investigate how the COVID-19 infodemic (i.e. information overload and untrustworthiness) influences consumers’ emotions (i.e. fear, anxiety and hope) by shaping their cognitive appraisals of the pandemic (i.e. perceived risk and uncertainty). Additionally, this study also investigates how individual differences (i.e. COVID-19 involvement and infection experience) impact their emotion formation process.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 815 US consumers aged between 18 and 65 in November 2021 via an online survey. Structural equation modeling and multi-group comparison from AMOS 23 were used to test the proposed relationships.
Findings
Information overload increased one’s perceived risk and perceived uncertainty of COVID-19, which, in turn, structured the emotional states of fear, anxiety and hope. Information untrustworthiness had a significant impact on risk perception, which led to an increased feeling of fear. Additionally, individuals’ COVID-19 involvement and their infection experience with the coronavirus were found to moderate the cognitive appraisal process in developing emotions.
Originality/value
This study offers insights into the relationships between the information landscape and cognitive appraisals regarding health crises, specifically the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only enriching emotional well-being literature, it also lends managerial implications for effective communication strategies in global health emergencies.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-12-2023-0616
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Non-laboratory Scholarship/Research Support Program (NSRP) at North Carolina State University.
Citation
Han, W., Lee, H., Xu, Y. and Cheng, Y. (2024), "Impacts of the COVID-19 infodemic on emotions through cognitive appraisals", Online Information Review, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-12-2023-0616
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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