中和技术对辟谣信息分享的抑制作用和缓解机制

Inhibition Effect and Mitigation Mechanism of Neutralization Techniques on the Sharing of Rumor-refuting Information

新冠肺炎疫情流行期间,社交媒体上关于新冠肺炎疫情的谣言的扩散和传播是学界和业界共同关注的世界性问题。虽然政府和媒体机构一直致力于打击社交媒体上关于新冠肺炎疫情的谣言,但现实取得的辟谣效果并不理想,其关键原因在于辟谣信息的传播速度和传播范围远远落后于谣言,造成“传谣易、辟谣难”的现实窘境。抗击“信息疫情”不仅需要依靠权威来源发布有效的辟谣信息,更需要广大社交媒体用户积极参与辟谣信息的分享和传播。因此,探究阻碍辟谣信息分享的关键因素,从而采取有针对性的应对措施,是一个亟待解决的重要问题。基于中和技术理论和规范激活理论,以个体规范为中介变量,以结果意识和责任归属为调节变量,构建调节中介模型,探讨中和技术对辟谣信息分享意愿的抑制过程以及结果意识和责任归属在此过程中的缓解作用。采用问卷调查方法,收集来自514名社交媒体用户的样本数据,运用层次回归和bootstrap方法进行主效应、中介效应、调节效应和被调节的中介效应检验。研究结果表明,(1)中和技术显著削弱社交媒体用户分享辟谣信息的意愿;(2)个体规范在中和技术与辟谣信息分享意愿之间的关系中起部分中介作用;(3)结果意识和责任归属对中和技术与个体规范之间的关系具有负向调节作用;(4)结果意识和责任归属负向调节个体规范在中和技术与辟谣信息分享意愿之间的中介作用,即存在被调节的中介作用。具体而言,当个体的结果意识和责任归属水平越高时,个体规范的中介作用越弱,反之越强。研究结果揭示了阻碍社交媒体用户分享辟谣信息的心理机制,明晰了中和技术作用于辟谣信息分享意愿的内在机理和边界条件,拓展了中和技术理论和规范激活理论的应用领域,丰富了已有辟谣研究的范畴,同时也为社交媒体平台管理者提升用户的辟谣信息分享意愿提供了针对性的建议,以期提高辟谣信息的传播范围和影响力。

During the COVID-19 pandemic,the proliferation and dissemination of related rumors on social media is a worldwide issue of common concern to both academia and industry.Although official governments and media organizations have been committed to combating social media rumors related to COVID-19,the realistic effects are not satisfactory.The key reason is that the spread speed and scope of rumor-refuting information lags far behind that of rumors,resulting in the real dilemma of“easy to spread rumors and difficult to refute them”.Fighting the infodemic requires not only the release of effective rumor-refuting information from authoritative sources,but also the active participation of social media users in the sharing and dissemination of rumor-refuting information.Therefore,exploring what factors inhibits social media users′willingness to share rumor-refuting information is an important issue that needs to be urgently addressed.Based on the neutralization theory and norm activation theory,a moderated mediation model is constructed by considering personal norms as the mediating variable,and awareness of consequences and ascribed responsibility as moderating variables.Our research model tries to understand the inhibition effect of neutralization techniques on the sharing of rumor-refuting information,and the mitigation mechanisms exerted by awareness of consequences and ascribed responsibility.The questionnaire survey method is adopted to collect the sample data from 514 social media users,and hierarchical regression and bootstrap methods are used to test the main effect,mediation effect,moderation effect and moderated mediation effect.The results show that:(1)Neutralization techniques significantly weaken social media users′willingness to share rumor-refuting information;(2)Personal norms have a partial mediation effect on the relationship between neutralization techniques and willingness to share rumor-refuting information;(3)Awareness of consequences and ascribed responsibility have a negative moderation effect on the relationship between neutralization techniques and personal norms;(4)Awareness of consequences and ascribed responsibility negatively moderate the mediation effect of personal norms between neutralization techniques and willingness to share rumor-refuting information,that is,there are moderated mediation effects.Specifically,the higher the level of awareness of consequences and ascribed responsibility,the weaker the mediation effect of personal norms,and vice versa.The study conclusions reveal the psychological mechanism that inhibits social media users from sharing rumor-refuting information,and clarify the internal mechanism and boundary conditions of the effect of the neutralization techniques on willingness to share rumor-refuting information.Moreover,this study expands the application field of neutralization theory and norm activation theory,and enriches the research scope of existing rumor combating literature.At the same time,provides targeted suggestions for social media platform managers on how to facilitate users′willingness to share rumor-refuting information,in order to improve the dissemination range and influence of rumor-refuting information.