Media Influence on Intention for Risk-Aversive Behaviors: The Direct and Indirect Influence of Blogs through Presumed Influence on Others

Authors

  • Borae Jin Joongbu University
  • Sungeun Chung Sungkyunkwan U
  • Sangho Byeon Incheon National University

Keywords:

media effect, third-person effect, influence of presumed influence, social risk, anxiety, behavioral change

Abstract

Media can influence people directly and indirectly through presumed influence on others. This study examined the direct and indirect pathways of media influence. The direct pathway started from the perceived effects of media on self, to anxiety of self, and to behavioral intentions of self. The indirect influence started from the presumed effects of media on others, to others’ anxiety, to others’ behaviors, and to behavioral intentions of self. A survey was conducted regarding the effects of blog messages about fishery contamination associated with the Fukushima nuclear accident (N = 306). Both influence pathways were effective, but the direct influence was stronger than the indirect influence. The relationship between participants’ intentions to change their behaviors and their presumptions about others’ behavioral changes was reciprocal, and the effect of the former on the latter was greater than the opposite.

Author Biographies

Borae Jin, Joongbu University

Borae Jin (Ph.D., University of Texas) is an Assistant professor of the Department of Media Communications at Joongbu University, Republic of Korea. Her research interests involves psychological, communicative, and socio-cultural aspects of communication technology. bjin23@gmail.com

Sungeun Chung, Sungkyunkwan U

Sungeun Chung (Ph.D., University of Maryland) is Associate Professor of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. His research involves creating and testing mathematical models of information processing and belief change. chseun@gmail.com, Phone: +82.2.760.0398; +1.610.662.4183

Sangho Byeon, Incheon National University

Sangho Byeon is an Assistant Professor at Incheon National University, Republic of Korea. byeonsh@hotmail.com

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Published

2018-06-14

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Section

Articles