Rethinking the Impact of Social Media Exposure and Source Credibility on the Social Amplification of Risk and Public Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Promoting public engagement through social media has always been a core issue in risk communication studies. Based on the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF), this study conducts an online survey in China (N = 908) and constructs a moderated mediation model. Using bootstrapped moderated mediation analysis, this study examines the relationships among social media exposure to pandemic information, risk perception, source credibility, and public engagement on social media at the early stages of the pandemic. The results demonstrate a positive relationship between social media exposure and public engagement, which can be mediated by risk perception. The relationship between social media exposure and public engagement via risk perception is moderated by source credibility. The higher perceived credibility of official and interpersonal sources undermines risk perception, but also hinders public engagement in the crisis. The moderating effect of professional source credibility is not significant. This study has expanded the SARF and has contributed to promoting risk communication strategies from the perspective of risk information processing.