ABSTRACT
Social networking sites (SNS) are becoming one of the most significant platforms for social interaction and information exchange in epidemics. Nevertheless, relatively little is known about what facilitates or hinders individuals’ engagement in information exchange in the event of an infectious disease outbreak. This study examined the effects of potential predictors that might be associated with the expression and reception of information on SNS during the South Korea Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak. Analysis of an online survey among 1000 adults from the general population of South Korea showed that expressing and receiving MERS-related information were predicted differentially by diverse social-demographic, socio-economic, and psychosocial factors. Among psychosocial characteristics, risk perceptions and self-efficacy interacted with each other to predict the expression and reception of MERS-related information. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
