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The literature currently lacks an understanding of how denials can be crafted to effectively debunk rumors on social media. Underpinned by the theory of planned behavior, this research develops denials by incorporating salient beliefs to enhance users' likelihood to share such messages. Two related studies were conducted. The first was a survey of 276 participants to identify salient beliefs that could be incorporated to develop rumor denials. The following salient beliefs were identified in the survey: (i) Sharing denials helps to spread the truth; (ii) Friends and the online community encourage the behavior of sharing denials; and (iii) Source credibility of denials encourages sharing. From among the pool of survey participants, 206 took part in a second study that employed an experiment to measure the efficacy of the developed denials. The experiment revealed that denials incorporating all the salient beliefs had the greatest potential to influence users' likelihood of sharing. With a theory-driven approach to develop denials, this research offers insights to practitioners such as social media managers and website authorities on ways to debunk rumors. • The use of denials can be a proactive strategy to debunk rumors on social media. • Sharing denials helps to spread the truth. • Friends and the online community encourage the behavior of sharing denial. • Source credibility of denials encourages sharing. • Incorporating salient beliefs in denials enhances users' intention to share. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper investigates how users' perception of online hotel reviews is related to trust across review polarity and hotel category. Users' perception of both titles and descriptions of reviews was examined. Data came from a 2 (review polarity: positive and negative) x 2 (hotel category: luxury and budget) between-participants experiment. Analysis was done using the partial least squares structural equation modeling approach. Attractiveness of titles and credibility of descriptions were positively related to trust. Moreover, the relation between users' perception of reviews and their decision to trust differed significantly across review polarity and hotel category. Implications of the findings are highlighted. Highlights • Online hotel reviews were examined in terms of their titles and descriptions. • Perceived title attractiveness was positively related to trust in hotel reviews. • Perceived description credibility was positively related to trust in hotel reviews. • The link from perception to trust varied across review polarity and hotel category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rise of fake news and doctored narratives on the Internet, research on online rumors is growing. Previous works often dealt with either individuals' trust in rumors or their willingness to share. Juxtaposing both in the same study, the aim of this paper is to investigate medical professionals' intentions to trust and share online health rumors as a function of their personal involvement, the rumor type, and the presence of counter-rumors. Personal involvement refers to individuals’ perceived relevance of a rumor. Two common types of rumors include dread and wish. Counter-rumors are messages that debunk rumors. A within-participants experiment was conducted with 60 participants, divided evenly among doctors, nurses and medical students, each of whom was exposed to eight cancer-related rumors. Rumor type and the presence of counter-rumors were induced. Personal involvement, intention to trust, and intention to share were measured using a questionnaire. Results showed that personal involvement compelled intentions to trust and share. Dread rumors triggered intentions to trust and share more than did wish rumors. The presence of counter-rumors lowered intention to trust, but not intention to share. Moreover, rumor type moderated the relation between personal involvement and intentions to trust and share. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes review efficacy on Amazon.com. Specifically, review efficacy is conceptualized as the readership and the helpfulness of reviews submitted on the website. Informed by the Matthew effect and the Ratchet effect— “the rich grow richer and the poor grow poorer,” the paper examines if reviews submitted by reputed reviewers are deemed more efficacious compared with those contributed by novices. A research framework is proposed to identify antecedents that could promote review efficacy. The antecedents include both quantitative and qualitative aspects related to review titles and descriptions. Three key findings are gleaned from the results. First, the antecedents of review readership are not necessarily identical to those of review helpfulness. Second, both titles and descriptions of reviews are related to review efficacy. Third, the antecedents of review efficacy are different for reputed and novice reviewers. The paper concludes by highlighting its theoretical contributions and implications for practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to develop and empirically validate a conceptual model that explains individuals' behavioral intention to accept AI-based recommendations as a function of attitude toward AI, trust, perceived accuracy and uncertainty level. The conceptual model was tested through a between-participants experiment using a simulated AI-enabled investment recommendation system. A total of 368 participants were randomly and evenly assigned to one of the two experimental conditions, one depicting low-uncertainty investment recommendation involving blue-chip stocks while the other depicting high-uncertainty investment recommendation involving penny stocks. Results show that attitude toward AI was positively associated with behavioral intention to accept AI-based recommendations, trust in AI, and perceived accuracy of AI. Furthermore, uncertainty level moderated how attitude, trust and perceived accuracy varied with behavioral intention to accept AI-based recommendations. When uncertainty was low, a favorable attitude toward AI seemed sufficient to promote reliance on automation. However, when uncertainty was high, a favorable attitude toward AI was a necessary but no longer sufficient condition for AI acceptance. Thus, the paper contributes to the human-AI interaction literature by not only shedding light on the underlying psychological mechanism of how users decide to accept AI-enabled advice but also adding to the scholarly understanding of AI recommendation systems in tasks that call for intuition in high involvement services. • Attitude is associated with AI recommendation acceptance, trust and perceived accuracy. • Neither trust nor perceived accuracy is associated with the AI recommendation acceptance. • In a low-risk situation, attitude is correlated with AI recommendation acceptance. • In a high-risk situation, trust and perceived accuracy are correlated with AI recommendation acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sheds light on ways travellers' rating patterns in the hotel review website TripAdvisor differ between independent and chain hotels. To delve deeper, travellers were classified according to their profiles, namely, business, couple, family, friend and solo. Besides, hotels straddled across four geographical regions, namely, America, Asia Pacific, Europe as well as Middle East and Africa. A 5 (profiles) × 4 (regions) two-way factorial analysis of variance was conducted separately for independent and chain hotels. A qualitative analysis was further conducted to tease out the findings from the quantitative analyses. Travellers' rating patterns were found to differ substantially between independent and chain hotels across both profiles as well as regions. The paper concludes by highlighting its implications, limitations and potential directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helpfulness of user-generated reviews has not been studied adequately in terms of the interplay between review sentiment (favorable, unfavorable and mixed) and product type (search and experience). Moreover, the ways in which information quality relates to review helpfulness remain largely unknown. Hence, this paper seeks to answer the following two research questions: (1) How does the helpfulness of user-generated reviews vary as a function of review sentiment and product type? (2) How does information quality relate to the helpfulness of user-generated reviews across review sentiment and product type? Data included 2190 reviews drawn from Amazon for three search products—digital cameras, cell phones, and laser printers—as well as three experience products—books, skin care, and music albums. Review sentiment was ascertained based on star ratings. Investigation of the research questions relied on the statistical procedures of analysis of variance, and multiple regression. Review helpfulness was found to vary across review sentiment independent of product type. Besides, the relationship between information quality and review helpfulness was found to vary as a function of review sentiment as well as product type. The paper concludes with a number of implications for research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web 2.0 represents an emerging suite of applications that hold immense potential in enriching communication, enabling collaboration and fostering innovation. However, little work has been done hitherto to research Web 2.0 applications in library websites. This paper addresses the following three research questions: (a) To what extent are Web 2.0 applications prevalent in libraries?; (b) In what ways have Web 2.0 applications been used in libraries?; and (c) Does the presence of Web 2.0 applications enhance the quality of library websites? Divided equally between public and academic, 120 libraries' websites from North America, Europe and Asia were sampled and analyzed using a three-step content analysis method. The findings suggest that the order of popularity of Web 2.0 applications implemented in libraries is: blogs, RSS, instant messaging, social networking services, wikis, and social tagging applications. Also, libraries have recognized how different Web 2.0 applications can be used complementarily to increase the level of user engagement. Finally, the presence of Web 2.0 applications was found to be associated with the overall quality, and in particular, service quality of library websites. This paper concludes by highlighting implications for both librarians and scholars interested to delve deeper into the implementation of Web 2.0 applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Underpinned by the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework and the anchoring effect, this paper investigates how perceived message properties of online rumor rebuttals are related to perceived utilitarian and hedonic values, which further could determine rebuttal acceptance. Given the possibility that Internet users can confront a rebuttal when they are not even aware of the rumor, this paper takes into account the role of exposure sequence as a moderator. Data were collected from 322 social media users in a between-participants experiment, which manipulated the exposure sequence. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Perceived message properties were positively associated with perceived utilitarian and hedonic values, both of which were positively related to rebuttal acceptance. Exposure sequence significantly moderated the underlying mechanism of rebuttal acceptance. This paper contributes to the online rebuttal literature by examining how individuals respond to rebuttals in terms of intention to believe and share such messages. It also has implications for practitioners and other Internet users. • Informativeness of rebuttals was positively related to perceived utilitarian value. • Credible source of rebuttals was positively related to perceived utilitarian value. • Persuasiveness of rebuttals was positively related to perceived hedonic value. • Perceived utilitarian and hedonic values determined rebuttal acceptance. • Exposure sequence played a significant role in influencing rebuttal acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of tour guides' online profile on Internet users looking to book a vacation in terms of four aspects: perceived usefulness of the profile, hedonic attitude toward the tour guide, utilitarian attitude toward the tour guide, and purchase intention for the package tour. An experiment was conducted with 285 participants. A happy facial expression on the profile picture and a detailed profile description generally drew favorable responses. Moreover, the participants preferred male to female tour guides, thereby highlighting how the tourism industry is plagued by gender stereotype. Besides having implications for tour guides and travel agencies, the paper calls for a globally agreed policy on gender equality in tourism. • A happy facial expression is desirable for a tour guide's online profile. • A detailed profile description is desirable for a tour guide's online profile. • The paper finds evidence of ingrained gender roles and stereotypes on tour guides. • A male tour guide is viewed as being more alluring than a female tour guide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The myriad of information communication technologies (ICTs) available today has changed the way students choose and use them. Specifically, individuals are increasingly relying on a mix of ICTs for communication to accomplish tasks. Yet, past studies on ICT use has largely assumed that people use a single ICT per task. We attempt to address this gap by focusing on the influence of individual differences on the choice of communication portfolio (a mix of ICTs) to accomplish learning tasks in school-based settings. Specifically, we focus on two dimensions of individual differences: learning styles and individuals’ perceptions. Results suggest that individual differences do have effects on the choice of communication portfolios to accomplish tasks. In particular, we found that students who preferred to learn by hearing tended to choose the complex communication portfolio to accomplish their tasks. Interestingly, our results also indicate that students preferred to use the simple communication portfolio when communication partners were perceived to be unavailable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Social Networking Sites (e.g. Facebook), which afford self-presentation, are gaining popularity amongst adolescents. This study examined the relationship of narcissism and extraversion on adolescents’ self-presentation in four Facebook profile features (profile picture, status updates, social network size, photo count), as reported by Grade 7–Grade 9 adolescents. After accounting for extraversion, narcissism predicted features presenting self-generated content (profile picture rating, status update frequency), but not features presenting system-generated content (social network size, photo count). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]