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Antecedents and Consequences of Information Overload in the COVID-19 Pandemic

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  • Hyehyun Hong

    (Department of Advertising & Public Relations, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea)

  • Hyo Jung Kim

    (Department of Media & Communication, Pusan National University, Pusan 46241, Korea)

Abstract

The global outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in 2020 has significantly affected the information environment as well as the daily life of individuals across the world, with information about COVID-19 dominating all media channels. The information provided at the time of a health crisis like COVID-19 is critical in helping people learn about the disease and the recommendations to prevent infection. However, studies have shown that when people are overwhelmed by too much information (referred to as ‘information overload’), this leads to adverse effects. This study examined the antecedents and consequences of information overload in the context of COVID-19. A survey was conducted among 627 residents in Seoul, South Korea, one of the earliest affected countries in the global outbreak. The results showed that cognitive capacity and the frequency of online news use and interpersonal communication were significant predictors of information overload. Information overload influenced how information is processed; it was associated with the tendency toward greater heuristic processing and less systematic processing. In addition, people were more likely to enact prevention behaviors when the information was processed systematically, as opposed to heuristically. The results are discussed considering both the theoretical and practical implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Hyehyun Hong & Hyo Jung Kim, 2020. "Antecedents and Consequences of Information Overload in the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:24:p:9305-:d:461021
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Qiong Wang & Xiao Luo & Ruilin Tu & Tao Xiao & Wei Hu, 2022. "COVID-19 Information Overload and Cyber Aggression during the Pandemic Lockdown: The Mediating Role of Depression/Anxiety and the Moderating Role of Confucian Responsibility Thinking," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-16, January.
    2. Hongjie (Thomas) Zhang & Jen Sern Tham & Moniza Waheed, 2022. "The Effects of Receiving and Expressing Health Information on Social Media during the COVID-19 Infodemic: An Online Survey among Malaysians," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-16, June.
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    4. Xi Chen & Woohyung Lee & Fen Lin, 2022. "Infodemic, Institutional Trust, and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: A Cross-National Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-13, June.

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