Understanding Social Media Behaviour: The Role of Risk Perception in Crowdsourced Fact-Checking

The spread of health-related misinformation on social media has increased user efforts to tackle emerging risks. In this study, we provide a model on how users’ perceptions of risk when encountering possibly fear-inducing pandemic misinformation influenced their intent to fact-check it. We employed an online survey to collect the data among adult Facebook users. The model was tested using structural equation modelling. Unlike previous risk perception models, we found a positive effect of cognitive risk perception on the intentions of social media users to utilise internet tools for verifying the accuracy of information. The results also revealed that the more emotional risk users perceived, the more they intended to use ample sources, and, indirectly, also to use tools for verifying information. Furthermore, the participants demonstrated a greater propensity to utilise online fact-checking tools as their intention to explore many information sources increased. Our study contributes to the field by connecting cognitive and emotional risk perception with multi-faceted fact-checking in social media, where both individual fact-checking practices and information-seeking behaviour merge. It also contributes to human information behaviour research, by highlighting higher concerns with disease danger as possible user characteristics for motivated misinformation debunking. Thus, our findings may aid health practitioners and risk communicators in assessing how to target and educate, especially individuals with low-risk perception. Finally, we call on the general public and legislators to recognise the invaluable role of providing online information accurately as a crucial part of the strategic communication agenda.