Cornell University

Cornell University Mann Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA

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COMMColloquium

Risk Communication in the Social Media Age

Alisius Leong, COMMgrad, Cornell University

1pm in 102 Mann

 

Social media has provided transformative opportunities for risk communication practices, processes, and outcomes. This talk weaves together insights from three research areas: (1) the boundary conditions of expert influence in shaping risk perceptions and decisions on social media, (2) the impact of online misinformation and strategies to overcome them, and (3) factors that promote or inhibit public engagement with risk information to demonstrate the complex nature of risk communication in the social media landscape. Drawing on two experimental studies, it will demonstrate the impact of misinformation that creates competitive framing with scientific consensus and the role that normative influence play in shaping attitudes and behavioral intentions towards a familiar risk issue, COVID-19 vaccination, and an unfamiliar risk issue, cultured meat. It also explores the possibility of using dynamic injunctive norms as a potential strategy to combat misinformation and inaccurate normative information. Adopting a holistic approach to investigate how risks are communicated in the social media environment highlights opportunities and barriers that social media brings for the future of risk communication.

 

Alisius Leong is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication at Cornell University. Her research focuses on identifying social-psychological factors that influence public opinion of science, environmental, or health risks. She is particularly interested to understand how social media have transformed public opinion dynamics, as well as the incentives and barriers they pose for risk communication.

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