Perspective Matters: Sharing of Crisis Information in Social Media

Abstract

In this paper, we examined information sharing behavior in social media when one was taking the perspective of self versus other. We found that imagining self in a disaster center, Fukushima, Japan, increased the likelihood of sharing crisis information relative to imagining another person, John, in the same place. People's intention to share crisis information by default, without being asked to take any perspective, paralleled the intention to share when taking another person’s perspective. Moreover, when the information was associated with negative feelings, such as worry or fear, it was more likely to be shared; when the information was perceived confusing or uninteresting, it was less likely to be shared.

Keywords: Information sharing, social media, perspective taking, crisis management, feeling