Using information processing strategies to predict contagion of social media behavior: A theoretical model

Abstract

This study presents the Social Media Cognitive Processing model, which explains and predicts the depth of processing on social media based on three classic concepts from the offline literature about cognitive processing: self-generation, psychological distance, and self-reference. Together, these three dimensions have tremendous explanatory power in predicting the depth of processing a receiver will have in response to a sender’s message. Moreover, the model can be used to explain and predict the direction and degree of information proliferation. This model can be used in a variety of contexts (e.g., isolating influencers to persuade others about the merits of vaccination, to dispel fake news, or to spread political messages). We developed the model in the context of Brexit tweets.