Health Information, Credibility, Homophily, and Influence via the Internet: Web Sites Versus Discussion Groups

Abstract

Despite concerns about online health information and efforts to improve its credibility, how users evaluate and utilize such information presented in Web sites and online discussion groups may involve different evaluative mechanisms. This study examined credibility and homophily as two underlying mechanisms for social influence with regard to online health information. An original experiment detected that homophily grounded credibility perceptions and drove the persuasive process in both Web sites and online discussion groups. The more homophilous an online health information stimulus was perceived as being, the more likely people were to adopt the advice offered in that particular piece of information.

Correlates of Consumer Trust in Online Health Information: Findings From the Health Information National Trends Survey

“…These results enrich the limited literature on the effect of information characteristics on online health message trustworthiness (Rains & Karmikel, 2009;Walther et al, 2004;Wang et al, 2008). The ability to retrieve relevant health information (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2000; U.S. Institute of Medicine, 2004) is one of the health literacy skills that is critical for health communication and management tasks.…”

“…Consumer trust in online health information is a product of the interaction among source, message, channel, and receiver characteristics (for a review, see Wathen & Burkell, 2002), including source authority, information currency, easiness to read, inclusion of scientific references, privacy policy statement, third-party endorsement, professional site design (Dutta-Bergman, 2004;Eysenbach & Kö hler, 2002;Rains & Karmikel, 2009;Turner, Petrochilos, Nelson, Allen, & Liddy, 2009), presence of advertising (Walther, Wang, & Loh, 2004), and consumer characteristics (Freeman & Spyridakis, 2004;Huh, DeLorme, & Reid, 2005;Morahan-Martin, 2004;Sillence, Briggs, Harris, & Fishwick, 2007;Wang, Walther, Pingree, & Hawkins, 2008).…”

Factors of Leading the Adoption of Diet/Exercise Apps on Smartphones: Application of Channel Expansion Theory

“…Especially, in regards to health-related information, the credibility of information is one of the most critical factors of determining one's behaviors of seeking such information [15]. Therefore, when a person gains credible health information through a particular communication channel, s/he may view the channel to be usefulness.…”

The Effect of Information Channel on Information Source Selection: Students' Information Search

“…However, if decision making is important and information is critical for decision making, search will continue until necessary information is acquired. existing studies have postulated that credibility is the main determinant of source choice ( Pornpitakpan, 2004;Wang et al, 2008;Wathen & Burkell, 2002), this study examined that source choice is also affected by how the source is reached. Thus, findings from this study imply that convenience matters most in internship information search.…”

“…Specifically, the focus of this study is on the interaction effect between information channel and information source on information choice and use where an information source is defined as a visible presenter of the message or content and an information channel as a delivery medium (Hu & Sundar, 2010;Sundar & Nass, 2001). While information channel and information source are ontologically different (Pornpitakpan, 2004;Wang, Walther, Pingree, & Hawkins, 2008), the plausible interaction effect between the information channel and the information source on information choice and use has received scant attention in the information search literature. Defining an information source being a visible presenter of the message or content and an information channel being a delivery medium (Hu externally (Fodness & Murray, 1997;Lehto, Kim, & Morrison, 2006).…”