The Effects of Attractiveness and Source Expertise on Online Health Sites.

The surface characteristics (presentational or design elements) of online content have been the focus of a growing body of credibility literature in recent decades. However, since the online health information communities such as WebMD do not provide any design options when writing comments on the original post, how the simplistic presentational of comments (e.g., spacing, bullet-points, labeling, and line breaks) can affect web users' responses was examined. Our study found that minimal variations in the presentation of online contents can influence assessments of their credibility and behavioral intentions. In addition, the current study revealed interaction effects between surface characteristics and source expertise. Other findings and implications are discussed.

The effects of message framing, involvement, and nicotine dependence on anti-smoking public service announcements.

Anti-smoking Public Service Announcements (PSAs) typically emphasize the negative consequences of failing to quit smoking (negative frame), as opposed to emphasizing the benefits of quitting (positive frame). However, stressing the benefits of quitting sometimes produces better communication outcomes. Previous research on message framing has tried to identify factors affecting the impact of positive framing and negative framing. Data were collected on 188 undergraduates attending a southeastern university in the United States who were assigned randomly to view either positive or negative messages. Our study found that involvement and nicotine dependence moderated the impact of framed smoking-cessation messages on attitude toward the ad.