Research On The Factors Of Influencing Food Safety Rumors Reposting Intention Among WeChat Users

Xi Jinping's report at 19 th CPC National Congress proposed the implementation of a food safety strategy.The issue of food safety is an important part of the all-around well-off society in China.However,widely disseminated food safety rumors pose enormous challenges to food safety risk management.WeChat has been a major channel for the spread of food safety rumors due to its multiple users and features based on strong relationship connections,lack of public platform supervision,diversification of information presentation pattern,and closed-loop transmission mode.Audience reposting behavior is an important force for dissemination of rumors and the individual behavior is determined by willingness.By investigating factors affecting WeChat users' intention to repost food safety rumors,we can observe the audience rumors reposting behavior and provide decision-making references for governance WeChat food safety rumors.From the perspective of rumors audience,the study combine the communication theory including communication theory of persuasive,using and satisfaction theory with management theory of value accumulation theory.From the perspective of micro individual perception,medium view mass communication,and macro social context,through literature review and case analysis,it established a measurement model for factors that influence the audience' intention to repost food safety rumors based on the WeChat food safety characteristics.Questionnaire and SPSS quantitative analysis tools were used to verify how factors such as the credibility of rumors,credibility of spreading sources,critical literacy of the audience,and altruistic motivation influence the intention of WeChat users in food safety rumors reposting,and how the negative emotions gave play to moderating effect in it.Combining the current audience's perception of the dispelling rumors of the authorities,the study will put forward targeted suggestions for the governance of WeChat food safety rumors.It is found that WeChat food safety rumors are featured in obvious narrative traits,strongly professional information source,high realistic responses,strong humanistic concern,strong emotional expression and so on.Stronger altruistic motivation,content credibility,and awareness of the credibility of the information sources all make the audience more intention to repost food safety rumors,of which altruistic motivation has the greatest degree of influence.The higher the audience's rational criticism quality,the lower the audience's intention to repost rumor.Meanwhile,the negative emotion perception of the audience has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between the credibility of the information source and the willingness of rumor reposting.The audience's low satisfication level for rumor governance timeliness,smoothness and interaction shows a more effective governance action is in need.Therefore,the government should take measures such as establishing content monitoring mechanism,controlling the source of false rumor transmission,improving the quality of the public opinion,paying attention to the reality of food safety to reduce the negative emotion perception of the audience and improving the effect of rumor refuting to govern WeChat food safety rumor.