| The rise of social media has fueled a surge of online rumors,disrupting the information landscape and causing anxiety among users.While government efforts to debunk these rumors are seen as a solution,their effectiveness depends on user cognition,psychology,and behavior.This study examines the impact of government rumor refutations on social media users,considering their evolving knowledge,roles,and actions.By understanding these dynamics,we aim to develop evidence-based strategies for government interventions,guiding user acceptance of refutations,and ultimately promoting informed decision-making within a healthier online environment.The research explores the evolution and behavior guidance/control of social media users influenced by government-initiated rumor refutation,grounding its analysis on a blend of theories — Group Dynamics Theory,Knowledge Revision Theory,Two-step Information Flow Theory,Role Theory,and Social Influence Theory.The study employs a diverse array of methodologies: literature review,empirical research,model development,simulation analysis,and fs QCA.It holistically examines cognitive,role-based,and behavioral traits exhibited by social media users at various stages,thereby offering theoretical underpinnings to stimulate adoption of authoritative information and bolster government efforts in managing rumors.Adhering to a "deconstruction and reconstruction" logic,the research unfolds with the introduction of the influence mechanism that government rumor-refuting information exerts on social media user evolution.This includes a systematic discourse on the interconnectedness among cognitive,role,and behavioral evolutions,culminating in the creation of a comprehensive model illustrating how such information shapes user evolution.This model serves as a theoretical framework throughout the entire paper.In the main chapters,the research zeroes in on critical junctures during the user evolution process.At the knowledge revision stage,drawing upon Knowledge Revision Theory and employing questionnaire surveys coupled with path analysis,it constructs an influencing factor model for cognitive evolution.This reveals the intricate nature of cognitive change — a web woven from multiple influencing dimensions,emphasizing the pivotal roles played by information quality and individual user differences in the cognitive adjustment process.During the role transformation phase,qualitative methods guided by the Two-step Information Flow Theory and Role Theory are used to dissect the transition dynamics between regular users and opinion leaders,resulting in the formulation of a role evolution model.Findings from this segment emphasize the fluidity of role transitions within social networks and shed light on the underlying social psychological mechanisms driving the emergence of opinion leaders and their impact on information circulation.At the stage of user-information interaction,the investigation innovatively merges Automatic Cellular Models with Infectious Disease Models to create a Heterogeneous Cellular Automaton Model that simulates social media users’ interactions with government’s anti-rumor initiatives.This model vividly illustrates the complex dynamics inherent in information exchanges and explicates how numerous factors jointly determine both the spread and reception of information.Ultimately,these analyses converge on the crux—the information acceptance stage of social media users,representing the final evolutionary outcome.Leveraging Social Influence Theory and utilizing fs QCA on empirical case studies,the study extracts the configuration pathways pertinent to this acceptance stage,thus presenting fresh insights into how users form attitudes toward accepting information amidst a myriad of influences.The paper concludes by proposing behavior guidance and control strategies tailored to each evolutionary stage of social media users.These strategies not only encapsulate the deep synthesis of earlier-stage analyses but also serve as practical guidelines for future rumour management and social media user engagement endeavours.According to the overarching structure described,the core research inquiries of this paper encompass several salient aspects:Ⅰ.Proposes the influence mechanism of government rumor-refuting information on the evolution of social media usersIn order to uncover the internal logic and interaction mechanism of user evolution under the influence of such information,this study categorizes user evolution into four stages: individual users’ knowledge revision stage,role evolution stage within certain groups,information interaction stage among user groups,and information acceptance stage.User evolution is deconstructed into four types:cognitive evolution,role evolution,behavior evolution,and evolutionary outcomes.By demonstrating the logical relationship between these four types of evolutions,this paper establishes a situational fit between different types of evolutions and user stages.The focus in the knowledge revision stage lies in understanding users’ cognitive development process;during the role transformation stage,key factors influencing user role changes are emphasized;while in the information interaction stage,attention is given to user behavioral changes.These three stages lay a foundation for achieving ultimate acceptance by users.Through an extensive analysis of various stages and patterns of user evolutions,a mechanism model illustrating how government rumor-refuting information influences social media user evolutions is constructed.This provides a theoretical framework for further research as discussed in subsequent papers.Ⅱ.The key factors of user cognition evolution are identified based on knowledge revision theoryThe Persistent influence effect of misinformation(CIE)among social media users is crucial in impeding their cognitive evolution.To investigate the impact of government refutation information on CIE and identify key factors for improving it,this study is based on the framework of knowledge revision theory.A retrospective survey was conducted using a questionnaire to gather data from social media users.A factor model influencing the Sustained Influence Effect(CIE)of social media users was constructed,considering user personal factors and government information factors.During the investigation process,we extensively analyze seven key factors that affect CIE among social media users: frequency of rumor-refuting information,response speed of rumor-refuting information,individual’s confidence level,detail degree of rumor-refuting information,source credibility of rumor-refuting information,motivation behind directional reasoning,and cognitive ability regarding rumour-refuting content.The results demonstrate that these seven factors collectively contribute to the knowledge revision process among social media users;particularly noteworthy are the source credibility of rumour-refuting information,motivation behind directional reasoning,and cognitive ability regarding rumour-refuting content as they play a relatively dominant role in helping eliminate CIE for users.By identifying key influencing factors during the cognitive evolution stage,this study not only provides insights into effectively reducing prevalent CIE phenomena in social media under government rumour refutation environments but also offers important theoretical and practical guidance for enhancing knowledge revision theory and addressing global-scale infodemics.Ⅲ.The dynamic process of user role evolution is analyzed based on two-step information flow theoryThe government’s initiative in disseminating rumor refutation information significantly impacts the transformation of social media users into opinion leaders.This study endeavors to construct a model for the evolution of social media user roles,aiming to elucidate the inherent mechanism behind the emergence of opinion leaders and thereby furnish theoretical guidance for fostering positive role transitions among social media users.Firstly,the research selects a particular thematic event on the microblogging social media platform as a case study.It identifies and filters out relevant user groups associated with the event and conducts meticulous in-depth interviews using qualitative methods.Applying the procedural grounded theory method,the model is systematically constructed.Its coherence and comprehensiveness are verified through a rigorous theoretical saturation test.The findings indicate that individual subjective factors,social environmental factors,and the nature of rumor-refuting information all play a joint role in shaping the behavior of general users transitioning into new opinion leaders.Individual subjective elements have a more pronounced influence in the formation of opinion leaders under the influence of rumor debunking information.Specifically,individuals who possess clear self-awareness,high emotional needs,and emotional stability tend to be more likely candidates for becoming enduring opinion leaders.Social and public recognition,substantial incentives,and policy-legal backing constitute the social environmental factors,which act as crucial pillars supporting the emergence of opinion leaders.The popularity,credibility,and quality of the rumor-refuting information directly sway the engagement of potential opinion leaders,influencing their decision to participate in the rumor-refutation process.Comparatively,environmental perception factors exert a more significant effect on the diving)behavior—i.e.,stepping back from leadership roles—of existing opinion leaders.Users who become fatigued by social media,hold high privacy expectations,or lose confidence due to various reasons are more prone to revert to being ordinary users.Through this investigation,the study not only uncovers the dynamic progression of social media user role changes influenced by the government’s rumor refutation efforts but also gains profound insights into why opinion leaders speak out or remain silent on social media platforms.These findings provide a robust foundation for governments and social media companies to prudently guide opinion leader user groups towards active participation in rumor refutation activities.Ⅳ.The simulation model for the evolution of user behavior is developed using an automated cellular machine and SEIR model of the social media environmentIt utilizes Cellular Automata(CA)and SEIR models for simulation analysis,aiming to simulate the response and evolutionary state of social media users towards government rumor refutation information under various circumstances.The objective is to uncover the key factors and rules governing the dissemination of rumor-refuting information.Initially,by referencing the SEIR epidemic model,we classify the information status of social media users in a clear manner.By incorporating individual differences into the traditional automatic cellular machine model,a novel automatic cellular machine model with individual heterogeneity is developed specifically for studying rumor-refuting information interaction.This model takes into account crucial parameters such as government’s information interaction strategy,removal rate of refutation information,and different distribution patterns among spreaders;thus enabling an in-depth analysis of propagation characteristics related to refutation information.Through simulation analysis,it is observed that user interaction behavior plays a pivotal role in shaping the diffusion process of rumor-refuting information which subsequently influences both its propagation path and evolution trend.Ⅴ.Reveals the configuration path of social media users’ acceptance behavior of government rumor-refutation informationResearch aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the specific path and mechanism of social media users’ acceptance behavior towards government rumor-refuting information under its intervention.By conducting an in-depth analysis of 30 representative cases of government rumor-refuting,the fs QCA fuzzy configuration analysis method is employed to unveil the relationship between social media users’ acceptance behavior towards government rumor-refuting information and specific situations,as well as identify key factors influencing user acceptance behavior.The findings reveal that social media users’ acceptance behavior towards government rumor-refuting information is closely associated with two main situations,while five other situations have minimal impact on user acceptance behavior.These findings not only deepen researchers’ comprehension regarding how social media users achieve information acceptance amidst government rumor-refuting interventions but also assist governments and social media platforms in formulating and adjusting their rumour-refutation strategies more accurately by identifying and understanding these key factors and situations,thereby enhancing the effectiveness and reception of such efforts.Ⅵ.Proposes the government’s strategy of behavior guidance and control for users through rumor dispellingOn the basis of analyzing the evolutionary process of social media users influenced by government rumor refutation information,this section delves into the promotion strategy employed by governments to guide and control user behavior on social media platforms.Drawing from four perspectives-cognition,role,information interaction,and information reception-this paper analyzes and discusses cognitive penetration,role remodeling,interaction optimization,and acceptance improvement strategies for government rumor-refuting information.In terms of cognitive empowerment,cognitive penetration strategy,knowledge correction path optimization strategy and cognitive upgrade mechanism activation strategy are proposed to improve users’ trust in rumor refuting information by activating users’ cognitive upgrade mechanism.In the aspect of role remodeling,it puts forward the strategy of dynamic role adjustment,the strategy of opinion leader identification and cultivation,and the strategy of role stability strengthening in social network.In the aspect of interaction optimization,the network effect strategy using information diffusion,interaction efficiency enhancement approach strategy and participation motivation mechanism strategy are proposed.In terms of the enhancement of acceptability,this paper puts forward the strategies of mining the common point of user psychology,the key factors of acceptability enhancement and multi-dimensional information optimization,so as to effectively guide the acceptability behavior of social media users to refute rumors.The findings of this study expand the theoretical scope of government rumor-refuting information research and enhance the methodological and theoretical framework of social media user evolution research.At a practical level,it provides a solid foundation for researching and assessing public opinion supervision efforts by relevant government departments in dispelling rumors and disseminating information.Additionally,it offers valuable decision-making support to effectively guide the behaviors of social media users. |
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