Do you retweet heath advice on microblogging platforms? The effects of health topic and website design on credibility assessment

Abstract

Microblogging platforms are increasingly adopted by people to acquire and share online health advice. However, the unique nature of such platforms (e.g., usergenerated content, restriction of length) may invalidate previous guidelines in assisting health credibility assessment and propagate health information with low quality. In view of this, drawing on ELM and its derivate, this study, as one of the early attempts in the field, explore how two prominent design features (i.e., author credential and microblog reply) can facilitate microblogging users' assessing of health advice credibility on different health topics (i.e., health promotion and disease management). The research model will be tested through an experiment. By synergizing the cumulative literature in areas of online health information, microblogging and credibility assessment, this study can potentially advance our understanding of credibility assessment of health information on microblogging platforms. Potential practical implications are offered for microblogging designers and health practitioners. © 2012 by the AIS/ICIS Administrative Office All rights reserved.