Conversing through voice, compared to text, enhances the connection users have with a virtual assistant. This can lead to better attitudes toward the technology, according to a study by Penn State graduate student Eugene Cho.
While interactive web features are usually seen as a must-have for websites, when it comes to health communications, developers should be aware that those features may prompt negative reactions against their messages, according to researchers.
Health communicators often struggle with crafting persuasive health communication messages to encourage people to take preventative measures, like using sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, or schedule a flu shot. Researchers suggest that adding hopeful messages — along with fear or threat-based messages — can both raise awareness and encourage action.
People are more likely to trust health messages tweeted by doctors who have a lot of followers, but not the messages they retweet, according to researchers. A study of the credibility of health messages on Twitter showed that credibility dips when doctors who have a large number of Twitter followers passed on messages, instead of composing their own tweets, according to Ji Young Lee, a Penn State master's degree graduate in media studies. The study shows how people infer credibility and trust based on certain cues, said S. Shyam Sundar, distinguished professor of communications and co-director of Penn State's Media Effects Research Laboratory, who worked with Lee on the study.
