How Facebook Mediated COVID-19 Risk Communication: Evidence from Chinese External Media During the Winter Olympics

With the widespread adoption of social media worldwide, countries are increasingly using these platforms to manage potential risks and disseminate their content. This study examines the communication effectiveness of six Chinese external media outlets on Facebook during the Winter Olympics, focusing...

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Main Authors: Liwen Zhang, Yi-Xin Zhou, Ke-ke Shang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Information
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/16/4/306
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author Liwen Zhang
Yi-Xin Zhou
Ke-ke Shang
author_facet Liwen Zhang
Yi-Xin Zhou
Ke-ke Shang
author_sort Liwen Zhang
collection DOAJ
description With the widespread adoption of social media worldwide, countries are increasingly using these platforms to manage potential risks and disseminate their content. This study examines the communication effectiveness of six Chinese external media outlets on Facebook during the Winter Olympics, focusing on their COVID-19 coverage. Using structural equation modelling, we analysed how information presentation and dialogue intervention impacted communication effectiveness. The results indicated that scientific risk description, effective risk information dissemination, and heightened risk awareness in information presentation, as well as dialogue expansion in dialogue intervention, significantly enhanced the communication effectiveness of Facebook. However, dialogic contraction had no significant effect. Technical functionality mediated the relationship between information presentation and communication effectiveness but did not show a significant mediating effect for dialogic intervention. Achieving optimal communication outcomes through social media requires a comprehensive consideration of contextual and motivational factors.
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spelling doaj-art-8538182da01f4bfab7e2b07ede1e408f2025-08-20T02:17:59ZengMDPI AGInformation2078-24892025-04-0116430610.3390/info16040306How Facebook Mediated COVID-19 Risk Communication: Evidence from Chinese External Media During the Winter OlympicsLiwen Zhang0Yi-Xin Zhou1Ke-ke Shang2Computational Communication Collaboratory, School of Journalism and Communication, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, ChinaComputational Communication Collaboratory, School of Journalism and Communication, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, ChinaComputational Communication Collaboratory, School of Journalism and Communication, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, ChinaWith the widespread adoption of social media worldwide, countries are increasingly using these platforms to manage potential risks and disseminate their content. This study examines the communication effectiveness of six Chinese external media outlets on Facebook during the Winter Olympics, focusing on their COVID-19 coverage. Using structural equation modelling, we analysed how information presentation and dialogue intervention impacted communication effectiveness. The results indicated that scientific risk description, effective risk information dissemination, and heightened risk awareness in information presentation, as well as dialogue expansion in dialogue intervention, significantly enhanced the communication effectiveness of Facebook. However, dialogic contraction had no significant effect. Technical functionality mediated the relationship between information presentation and communication effectiveness but did not show a significant mediating effect for dialogic intervention. Achieving optimal communication outcomes through social media requires a comprehensive consideration of contextual and motivational factors.https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/16/4/306technical mediationsocial mediarelationship managementrisk communication
spellingShingle Liwen Zhang
Yi-Xin Zhou
Ke-ke Shang
How Facebook Mediated COVID-19 Risk Communication: Evidence from Chinese External Media During the Winter Olympics
Information
technical mediation
social media
relationship management
risk communication
title How Facebook Mediated COVID-19 Risk Communication: Evidence from Chinese External Media During the Winter Olympics
title_full How Facebook Mediated COVID-19 Risk Communication: Evidence from Chinese External Media During the Winter Olympics
title_fullStr How Facebook Mediated COVID-19 Risk Communication: Evidence from Chinese External Media During the Winter Olympics
title_full_unstemmed How Facebook Mediated COVID-19 Risk Communication: Evidence from Chinese External Media During the Winter Olympics
title_short How Facebook Mediated COVID-19 Risk Communication: Evidence from Chinese External Media During the Winter Olympics
title_sort how facebook mediated covid 19 risk communication evidence from chinese external media during the winter olympics
topic technical mediation
social media
relationship management
risk communication
url https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/16/4/306
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