{"title":"The role of personality traits and the ability to detect fake news in predicting information avoidance during the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"M. Mirzabeigi, Mahsa Torabi, Tahere Jowkar","doi":"10.1108/lht-03-2022-0150","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of personality traits and the ability to detect fake news on information avoidance behavior. It also examined the effect of personality traits on the ability to detect fake news.Design/methodology/approachThe sample population included Shiraz University students who were studying in the second semester of academic year 2021 in different academic levels. It consisted of 242 students of Shiraz University. The Big Five theory was used as the theoretical background of the study. Moreover, the research instrument was an electronic questionnaire consisting of the three questionnaires of the ability to detect fake news (Esmaeili et al., 2019, inspired by IFLA, 2017), the Big Five personality traits (Goldberg, 1999) and information avoidance (Howell and Shepperd, 2016). The statistical methods used to analyze the data were Pearson correlation and stepwise regression, which were performed through SPSS software (version 26).FindingsThe results showed that from among the five main personality factors, only neuroticism had a positive and significant effect on information avoidance. In addition, the ability to detect fake news had a significant negative effect on information avoidance behavior. Further analyses also showed positive and significant effects of openness to experience and extraversion on the ability to detect fake news. In fact, the former had more predictive power.Practical implicationsFollowing the Big Five theory considering COVID-19 information avoidance and the ability to detect COVID-19 fake news, this study shifted the focus from environmental factors to personality factors and personality traits. Furthermore, this study introduced the ability to detect fake news as an influential factor in health information avoidance behaviors, which can be a prelude for new research studies.Originality/valueThe present study applied the five main personality factors theory in the context of information avoidance behavior and the ability to detect fake news, and supported the effect of personality traits on these variables.","PeriodicalId":47196,"journal":{"name":"Library Hi Tech","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4000,"publicationDate":"2023-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Library Hi Tech","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1108/lht-03-2022-0150","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
PurposeThe objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of personality traits and the ability to detect fake news on information avoidance behavior. It also examined the effect of personality traits on the ability to detect fake news.Design/methodology/approachThe sample population included Shiraz University students who were studying in the second semester of academic year 2021 in different academic levels. It consisted of 242 students of Shiraz University. The Big Five theory was used as the theoretical background of the study. Moreover, the research instrument was an electronic questionnaire consisting of the three questionnaires of the ability to detect fake news (Esmaeili et al., 2019, inspired by IFLA, 2017), the Big Five personality traits (Goldberg, 1999) and information avoidance (Howell and Shepperd, 2016). The statistical methods used to analyze the data were Pearson correlation and stepwise regression, which were performed through SPSS software (version 26).FindingsThe results showed that from among the five main personality factors, only neuroticism had a positive and significant effect on information avoidance. In addition, the ability to detect fake news had a significant negative effect on information avoidance behavior. Further analyses also showed positive and significant effects of openness to experience and extraversion on the ability to detect fake news. In fact, the former had more predictive power.Practical implicationsFollowing the Big Five theory considering COVID-19 information avoidance and the ability to detect COVID-19 fake news, this study shifted the focus from environmental factors to personality factors and personality traits. Furthermore, this study introduced the ability to detect fake news as an influential factor in health information avoidance behaviors, which can be a prelude for new research studies.Originality/valueThe present study applied the five main personality factors theory in the context of information avoidance behavior and the ability to detect fake news, and supported the effect of personality traits on these variables.
目的本研究旨在探讨人格特征和发现假新闻的能力对信息回避行为的影响。研究还考察了人格特征对发现假新闻能力的影响。设计/方法论/方法样本人群包括设拉子大学2021学年下学期不同学术水平的学生。它由设拉子大学的242名学生组成。本研究以“五大”理论为理论背景。此外,该研究工具是一份电子问卷,由三个问卷组成,即检测假新闻的能力(Esmaeili et al.,2019,受IFLA启发,2017)、五大人格特征(Goldberg,1999)和信息回避(Howell和Shepperd,2016)。结果表明,在5个主要人格因素中,只有神经质对信息回避有正向显著影响。此外,发现假新闻的能力对信息回避行为有显著的负面影响。进一步的分析还显示,经验开放性和外向性对检测假新闻的能力产生了积极而显著的影响。事实上,前者更有预测力。实践含义根据考虑新冠肺炎信息规避和新冠肺炎假新闻检测能力的五大理论,本研究将重点从环境因素转移到人格因素和人格特征。此外,本研究引入了检测假新闻的能力作为健康信息回避行为的影响因素,这可能是新研究的前奏。原创性/价值本研究将五大人格因素理论应用于信息回避行为和发现假新闻的能力,并支持人格特征对这些变量的影响。
期刊介绍:
■Integrated library systems ■Networking ■Strategic planning ■Policy implementation across entire institutions ■Security ■Automation systems ■The role of consortia ■Resource access initiatives ■Architecture and technology ■Electronic publishing ■Library technology in specific countries ■User perspectives on technology ■How technology can help disabled library users ■Library-related web sites