Previous studies have confirmed that information exposure affects pro-environmental behavior. With the rise of social media, new questions emerge in terms of whether different types of information exposure affect pro-environmental behavior differently. Based on a survey of 550 people that was carried out in China, this study aims to compare the different roles of interpersonal communication, traditional media, and social media in affecting the relationships between people’s environmental risk perception, willingness to contribute to the environment, environmental knowledge, environmental concerns, and pro-environmental behavior. Our research discovered that: (1) traditional media has almost no effect on pro-environmental behavior; (2) interpersonal communication can affect pro-environmental behavior through significantly affecting environmental risk perception; (3) social media affects pro-environmental behavior mainly by strengthening the effects of interpersonal communication. The research reveals that while different types of information exposure affect pro-environmental behavior differently, interpersonal communication plays a central role. Concerning the mutual influence between social media and interpersonal communication, we propose that we could promote pro-environmental behavior by activating social media communication.

The activation of norm perception can promote pro-environmental behavior. How does media, as important variables in activating norm perception, affect pro-environmental behavior? Through an online survey of 550 randomly selected Chinese citizens, this study examines the roles of traditional media and social media in influencing the relationship between norm perception and pro-environmental behavior. Based on multi-level regression analysis of data, this study found that (1) compared with traditional media, social media play a more significant role in moderating the relationship between norm perception and pro-environmental behavior; (2) the promotion of the perception of injunctive norms by traditional media has a negative relationship with pro-environmental behaviors; (3) the activation of subjective norm perception by social media will promote pro-environmental behaviors. According to this research, in the current media environment, we should carefully release pro-environmental information on social media and encourage relevant discussions, and appropriately reduce environment-relevant injunctive normative information on traditional media. The study also discusses the role of media in regulating norm perception and pro-environmental behavior in different cultural contexts.

China is facing tremendous pressure to improve the environment. How to promote pro-environmental behaviors at the individual level is an important research topic. This study examines the relationship between social media usage, place attachment, and pro-environmental behavior based on a survey of 550 Chinese citizens. The results show that: (1) Place attachment and social media usage for environmental information acquisition have positive correlations with pro-environmental behaviors; (2) social media usage for environmental information acquisition moderates the relationship between place attachment and pro-environmental behaviors. Our survey also finds that social media play a more important role than traditional media in influencing pro-environmental behaviors. Our findings indicate that social media is changing the traditional relationship between place attachment and pro-environmental behavior. We should pay more attention to this positive role of social media and encourage citizens' pro-environmental behavior.

Through an online survey of a working population sample (N = 530), this study examines the role of social comparison between social media use and job burnout. The results show that: (1) there is a significant positive correlation between social media use and job burnout; (2) social comparison plays a moderating role in social media's impact on burnout. In high social comparative groups, the moderating role develops into an mediating role, which means that job burnout is only significant when social media addiction and the inclination of social comparison are simultaneously strong; (3) Social media users who often make downward comparison and get positive emotions from it are more prone to job burnout. This study reveals the possible negative effects of overuse of new media and enriches the understanding of how social media shapes individuals' psychology and behavior. Studies have also shown that regulating and controlling social comparisons and avoiding excessive use of social media may be effective in reducing job burnout.

International metropolises are key sites of outbreaks of COVID-19 cases. Global public evaluation of the pandemic in international cities is affected by many factors. This study examines how media exposure affects this evaluation and how media trust and media bias perception moderate the relationship between them. Based on an online survey of the evaluation of 13 international cities’ pandemic performances by 1171 citizens from 11 countries, this study conducted a multi-level stepwise regression analysis and discovered that: (1) different forms of media affect global citizens’ perceptions of international metropolis COVID-19 pandemic performance differently; and the role of traditional paper media, including newspapers and magazines, is of little significance in comparison to electronic media. (2) Among electronic media, TV and broadcasting have the greatest impact, followed by social media and the Internet. (3) Media trust and media bias perception affect people’s evaluations of international urban pandemics, but our survey reveals that they only function with regard to social media.