Format
Zoom

Speakers
Dr HUANG Guanxiong
Using Messaging Strategy to Reduce Optimistic Bias in Health and Risk Communication
Optimistic bias is individuals’ cognitive tendency of perceiving the risks to a hazardous event or disease for themselves lower than for others. Put it simply, “It is a serious issue, but it is someone else’s issue.” Optimistic bias has been observed with various health and risk issues, such as H1N1 flu and climate change, and may have a negative impact on people’s willingness to take preventive measures. I will present my research on message design strategy that can effectively reduce optimistic bias and in turn persuade people to take action against the hazardous event or disease.

Dr KIM Ji Won
From Risk Butterflies to Citizens Engaged in Risk Prevention in the Zika Virus Crisis
Social media have become an important venue for communicating information about health risks during public health crises. Despite that individuals not only receive risk information but also actively share it within their social networks, little is known about how the bidirectional use of social media would influence their risk perceptions and subsequent health behaviors. Hence, in this talk, I will present a study which examines how two-way social media communication (i.e., posting and receiving risk information on social media) are linked to different levels of risk perceptions, and in turn, this leads to information seeking and preventive behaviors. Implications of the findings will also be discussed in light of communication strategies that motivate users to share accurate risk information during the pandemic.

Dr DAI Yue
Observing Interactions in Online Mental Health Support Groups: A Masspersonal Perspective to Social Support
Common mental disorders are a pressing global public health issue. Although prior research has revealed invaluable insights on the benefits of online health support groups, it focused more on active posters in these groups while neglecting the lurkers. This seminar presents two studies on how observers of interactions in online support communities relate to the interactants in the conversations and experience the interactions vicariously. The results shed light on passive use of online support groups and guide the design of online support communities.

Event details
Please refer to the event poster

Register
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Enquiries
OH.seminar@cityu.edu.hk