“JANE SENT ME THIS ARTICLE, SO IT MUST BE TRUE!” – HOW TIE STRENGTH AND EMOTIONAL TONE INFLUENCE INFORMATION BEHAVIOR

Presenter Information

Felix B. Buesching, University of AugsburgFollow
Moritz T. Bruckner, University of AugsburgFollow
Adeline Frenzel-Piasentin, University of AugsburgFollow
Jan C. Muench, Augsburg UniversityFollow
Youngjin Kwon, Temple UniversityFollow
Jason B. Thatcher, Temple UniversityFollow
Daniel Veit, University of AugsburgFollow

Paper Type

ERF

Description

Fake news are a threat of the information age, yet many factors that determine their spread, such as emotional tone and tie strength, remain under-researched. Responding to calls for research, we developed an experimental study that explains the impact of emotional tone and tie strength in the context of instant messaging. We hypothesize effects on the willingness to fact-check and intention to share, mediated by sender credibility and news believability. Our results will contribute to the academic literature on various levels: we consider the emotional and relational dimensions of fake news sharing. Furthermore, we provide a multidimensional understanding of the emotionality of strong-tie contacts sharing fake news in a seemingly private and safe environment. For policymakers, we provide insights that help detect fake news, and we provide individuals with persuasion knowledge to self-protect against fake news.

Paper Number

1895

Comments

SIG ADIT

Recommended Citation

Buesching, Felix B.; Bruckner, Moritz T.; Frenzel-Piasentin, Adeline; Muench, Jan C.; Kwon, Youngjin; Thatcher, Jason B.; and Veit, Daniel, "“JANE SENT ME THIS ARTICLE, SO IT MUST BE TRUE!” – HOW TIE STRENGTH AND EMOTIONAL TONE INFLUENCE INFORMATION BEHAVIOR" (2023). AMCIS 2023 Proceedings. 43.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2023/sig_adit/sig_adit/43