Understanding the Facebook Users' Behavior towards COVID-19 Information Sharing by Integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and Gratifications

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate Facebook users’ information sharing behavior during COVID-19 by merging the theory of planned behavior and uses and gratifications theory into one theoretical framework. Facebook has been playing a pivotal role in shaping how people across the globe are experiencing the coronavirus pandemic. Yet knowledge about motivational and behavioral factors influencing information sharing through Facebook remains limited in the context of COVID-19. We collected data from 540 Facebook users through Google Forms. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypotheses of the study. We noted that Facebook users shared COVID-19 information for entertainment, socializing, and status-seeking. The findings further identified that attitude toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control positively affect the behavioral intention and actual behavior of Facebook users to share COVID-19 information.